40 Minutes To Live
by Evelyn Willow
Summary: The mind is more moldable than people realise - and when an ancient magic beckons Sasuke into the darkness who will follow? Action, Romance, Angst, Lemon, Modern Setting. NARUSASU
1. Lethargy

**Hey there. My first fanfic i've ever posted! The first chapter gives you a taste for some character stylings and my writing style. Oh and if Sakura's different personality annoys I'm really sorry - - ' I did it for dramatic irony as you'll see later. Anyway… I hope you enjoy it and forgive my n00bness…. As for the title, it is named as such because a bite from the world's most deadly snake kills in 40 minutes.**

1 – Lethargy

Uchiha Academy's first school day of the New Year was a brilliant one for the chairman's heir – it marked Uchiha Itachi's first day of being able to gloat to his little brother about not having to go to school ever again, for the rest of his life. And it also marked his first day in training as the heir to inheriting the academy and other family assets. However, for his younger brother, Uchiha Sasuke, another school year meant never ending trouble. So as Itachi pulled up by the school with a smirk pasted on his face, Sasuke opened the door slowly and grabbed his suddenly very heavy bag and slung it over his shoulder with a deep sigh.

"Another two whole years of high school, ay then little brother?"

"Shut up."

Itachi was smiling so much it was disturbing – Uchihas weren't really known for smiles. "Go on. The screaming fan girls are waiting."

Sasuke sniggered. "What, you think that just because you're out of school, they're gone for good? Too bad for you."

"Off you go to class, Sasuke! You're making me late for my extremely important work."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I've ever seen you so happy… ever." His brother laughed as he pulled himself out of the car and pushed the door closed. Itachi blew him a kiss before revving the engine loudly and roaring off down the street. "No," he muttered, "I really haven't seen him so excited before."

"Sasuke-kun!" came a sweet, girly sounding voice. He felt surge of annoyance, whipping around with a dark glare. An attractive girl with pink hair and green eyes dashed towards him with a smile on her lips. She ran straight up to him, shattering his glare defences.

"What do you want?" He snapped, irritated that this unknown girl had used his first name. Her smile wavered at his icy temper, but she quickly recovered.

"I just wanted to ask you to thank your father for such a warm welcome to Uchiha Academy." She said, fiddling with a strand of her hair. Sasuke took a discreet breath of relief. But the relief quickly dissipated as her eyes met his and a light blush dusted her cheeks. "I… I've just transferred here from Hokkaido. Actually, we're in the same class this year, Sasuke."

Sasuke huffed. "Who the heck are you?" he said with a sneer.

She blushed deeply. "Gomen nasai, Sasuke-kun – my name is Haruno Sakura." She said quickly.

"Well thanks, Haruno. I'll be sure to pass that message on to father." He said flatly, before roughly brushing past the girl (who was several centimetres shorter than him) and disappearing around the corner of the school's gates.

"Wow…" Sakura whispered, watching him leave. "So much for a warm welcome." Though in her head she couldn't decide whether it had actually been a cold welcome, or a really, really hot one. Her friends from Uchiha Academy had told her that the chairman's sons were both absolute heartthrobs – but damn… seeing one of them in person was mind-blowing! His dark eyes seemed like they could've sucked her in, and his pale skin looked as soft as fresh snow. And his hair! Well it was nothing short of amazing – his blue-black bangs framing his face, and his hair spiking coolly up at the back. It was no great surprise that a guy like him had to build a wall of ice around him. The chicks in the school probably wouldn't give him a moment's peace. "And I won't be any different," she muttered to herself. But Sakura had an advantage besides appearance and character that gave her the one up against other girls.

By the time Sasuke had fought his way through the writhing swarm of reunited friend groups and fresh faces Haruno had disappeared from his mind. Pretty much every single girl he'd ever met seemed to lust after him. As irritating as it was, it stopped meaning much to him a long time ago. Luckily for him, his fan base was so vast that it lost meaning to them as well, so despite being attracted to him, there was only a small number of people who actually actively went after him. One of the worst was Yamanaka Ino – someone Sasuke was quickly learning to hate – and she was advancing on him with blatant agenda and frightening determination. He shot her a glare, but she didn't burst into flames like the indirect types. Like Haruno, she walked through it with only a little hesitation.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun. How were your holidays?"

"Hn," he muttered, brushing past her.

Ino folded her arms before marching up the stairway to the school entrance behind him. "Where are you going?"

_God, just leave me the fuck alone!_ He thought to himself, turning around and trying to personify this thought into a glare as best he could. "It's none of your business," he snarled.

Ino snorted, making Sasuke glare harder. "Fine. I'll just talk to you when you're in a better mood," she said, turning away. But she was kidding herself; he would never be in a better mood towards her. It was only the imaginary man with his face that Ino could ever hope to have treated her kindly. Sasuke was not only filled with hate. There was a lot of it in there – there, in his heart. There was a lot of other stuff too. He had love, respect, courage, fear, insecurity, satisfaction and so on. In fact the youngest Uchiha contemplated emotion a lot. But Sasuke was intensely conservative and couldn't stand himself if he showed much emotion, other than disapproval, approval or disgust. Anything cool, but nothing weak.

He strolled down the corridor, attracting several glances, before making a quick right-handed turn into an unused classroom. His eyes quickly surveyed the layout. Not much had changed since the year before – the broken desks were still piled up in the northern corner of the room. The same musty smell filled his nose that came from the case of out-of-date textbooks sitting against the wall. The walls were slightly different – some of the old works done by first years had been taken down, and also a whole lot more white paint had peeled and flaked off. The white board was covered in the remnants of years of notes, equations and diagrams. The teacher's desk had long since lost its gloss and was covered in initials, hearts and genitalia. Sasuke shut the door with a faint click.

"I almost began to miss this little shithole," he said, turning to grin at Shikamaru and Gaara who were sitting on the book cabinet, their bags slumped against the wall.

Shikamaru raised a casual hand. "Sasuke, my man! How was Australia?"

Dropping his bag with the others, he went and pulled himself up onto the cabinet next to Gaara. "It was full of things meant to kill you, which I wasn't too keen on."

Gaara blinked. "I thought that the Uchihas would have liked all the snakes."

For a second, Sasuke wasn't sure whether he was being serious. "The snakes were okay. It was the sharks and spiders and crocodiles and jellyfish and swimming chainsaws that got to me."

Gaara leaned back and locked eyes with Sasuke's. "But you enjoyed it, right? I've always wanted to go there."

Shikamaru snorted. "You'd love it, Sandman. But don't bother asking Sasuke. He doesn't enjoy anything."

The door clicked and their eyes flicked up as Kiba, Shino and Hinata walked in. Kiba and Shino were chattering loudly, with Hinata occasionally chuckling. Sasuke groaned and rolled his eyes. The lame thing about finding an awesome abandoned classroom was other people finding out about it. Normally there were two groups who hung out in that classroom – Sasuke and his friends, and Uzumaki Naruto and his friends. The problem was, their group was really big and normally a whole lot noisier than just Shikamaru, Gaara and Sasuke. Fortunately, there was a sort of treaty in the classroom – firstly, the only girl allowed in the room was Hinata, because no one was evil enough to ask her to leave and because she wasn't an obvious or offensive flirt to anyone anyway (which was the reason the rule existed). Secondly, there was to be no rivalry or competition between the groups. But it was still shitty having to share, even if there wasn't conflict. The group had been hoping that they'd found somewhere else, but apparently not. A couple of minutes later, the door flew open and Naruto, the boy with spikey blond hair, insanely blue eyes, whisker-like birthmarks and some weird obsession for the colour orange, burst into the room with his best friends – Deidara, Sasori and Tobi.

"And then he was like, 'I'll show you fat-ass, you jerk,' and then I was like 'Well, you could at least take me out to dinner first,' and then I clocked the see-you-next-Tuesday right in the face!" he was reciting to his friends, with bright eyes and excessive enthusiasm.

Sasori and Tobi were laughing, but Deidara nudged him, saying, "with your cock, right?"

"Fuck off," he groaned. "You're not funny – go and sit in the corner, Deidara."

Deidara did puppy dog eyes before dancing over to the corner and whimpering, trying to appeal to his friend with his cute.

Naruto just laughed, finding himself a seat with his other friends. Hinata placed her fingers on her lips, her cheeks turning pink.

Sasuke subconsciously found himself glaring at her, so he quickly diverted his gaze to Gaara, who was regarding him quietly with a raised eyebrow. "What?" he barked, feeling his cheeks turning red.

"I can't believe you're still in love with that ass," he muttered, to which he received a snort.

Shikamaru sniggered. "Sasuke can't help it if he'd rather tap ass – in both senses,"

Sasuke shot him an acidic glare, which apparently caused no effect. Gaara just rolled his eyes. Then he blinked and suddenly twisted around and peered down the back of the cabinet. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Shikamaru frowned at his friend before peering down as well.

"I heard squeaking and scuffling. Like a rat or something." It was when Gaara said these words when Sasuke, who had returned his focus to Naruto and Deidara, saw movement in the corner of his eye.

"What the..?" He said, as a small white mouse scarpered across the room before disappearing under the door. He turned to his friends with a bewildered look on his face. "I think it was a mouse, not a rat."

"What? Did you see it?"

"Yeah. A mouse just darted across the room." He shook his head.

The mouse ran down the corridors as quickly as its little legs could carry it, its tiny heart beating rapidly in its chest. The school bell was about to sound now, and the hall became crowded with legs threatening to crush the small mammal as it wound its way and wiggled into the girl's changing rooms. It slid across the moist linoleum, its feet losing traction as it skidded into an open cubicle. For a second or two, it seemed stunned as it stared at the wall it almost crashed into. Then it quickly retraced its steps to the mouth of the cubicle and quickly glanced around the room before retreating back into the corner. Suddenly, its pink nose began to twitch and its shape began to waver. Its limbs seemed to stretch out as its body expanded – and more, its pigment faded from white and filled with pink. Five seconds later, the morphing animal was five foot seven, with pink flowing hair sprouting from its head, and its pink eyes had changed to green. In fact, it was no longer a mouse at all, and not only was it now humanoid – it also closely resembled the Haruno Sakura whom Sasuke had only just met earlier that day. The girl's face seemed unfazed by the transformation she had just undergone, but her emerald eyes were wide as she pensively held her chin.

"Well…" she mumbled. "I guess that puts any of us girls out of the running." Her eyes flicked up suddenly as the bell began to sound.

"Finally, we get to go to damn homeroom!" Shikamaru said, throwing up his hands.

"It still sucks you're not in our class, though." Gaara said, sliding off the cabinet and slipping his satchel over his shoulder.

He smirked at his friend. "Yeah, but it doesn't suck that I'm in Tenten's class. Though I wouldn't expect a couple of homos like you to understand the implications of that," he said, seemingly satisfied with the annoyed reactions of his friends.

"What about Temari?" Sasuke asked.

"What _about_ Temari?" Shikamaru snapped back.

Gaara was quickly turning red. "Come on you two – let's go already."

They sighed and followed their friend's example as they filed out of the room. The other group hadn't even got up yet – they never seemed to care about tardiness. Sasuke glanced back quickly before shutting the door to get another glimpse at the group, letting the butterflies fill his stomach. Noticing this, Shikamaru sighed. "You're too good for him, you know," he muttered.

"Shikamaru…" he sighed, not in the mood for an argument, "fuck off."

His friend snorted in reply, before peeling off down another corridor with a wave. "See you guys at break."

"Hn," he said. Gaara didn't say anything, but waved back.

"Why does he have to be so loud about it?"

"Hn."

Gaara rolled his eyes, before gently shunting his friend. Even though he knew Sasuke was an Uchiha and he accepted this, there were times when he found the guys affirmations quite obnoxious. "Well, Sasuke, I'm sure you only want to be ostracized as much as I do. And by that I mean you really wouldn't want that." Sasuke didn't reply. His eyes were fixed to the floor. Gaara sighed, figuring that his best mate really wasn't in the mood to talk at all, if he couldn't even talk to him.

They rolled up to homeroom at the same time as the weird guy Rock Lee was going in as well. The boys exchanged an exasperated glance. So the weirdo and a fresh girly girl fan girl were in their homeroom. Fantastic.

Their eyes scanned the room as they entered. Haruno was already there, sitting near the front next to… Sasuke groaned.

"Sasuke-kun!" Ino cried, blushing a little. He shot her a glare before looking to see who else had invaded his homeroom. The only faces that he could put names to were Hyuga Neji and Akimichi Choji, though he didn't know either of them very well.

Kazekage Gaara looked equally disappointed with his classmates, his eyes even seeming to harden as he watched Rock Lee pulling up a seat right up close to the front of the class. "Ugh… Let's sit at the back."

"Hn…" Sasuke muttered with a slight growl. They walked to the back of the class and sat down in the pair of desks at the left hand end of the classroom – as far away from Rock Lee as possible. Perhaps it was kind of mean, but Lee had plenty of friends who would sit with him, so they didn't feel so bad about finding him really creepy.

Suddenly, a voice filled Sasuke's ears. It wasn't close but it stood out to him like it was on a whole other frequency. He glanced at Gaara, who had a slight smile spread across his lips. "You should see your face," he said, his eyes fixed on Deidara and Naruto as they made their way into the room.

Trying to seem as though it didn't mean a thing to him, Sasuke smirked and let his eyes fall on Naruto. Deidara was nudging him and pointing to some desks near the middle of the room. "Hey, we should sit near Neji, un."

"I think not," came a harsh voice. The two latecomers whipped around to see a woman with large breasts (huge breasts actually) smiling at them with her soft lips and hard brown eyes. "When you've stopped staring at my breasts, you can use this layout to sort out where you'll be sitting – I'm too lazy to learn names so it'll be easier to have a seating plan for a while. And also, hopefully you'll be able to make some new friends."

The class seemed to groan, but Sasuke groaned the loudest. Gaara was the only person in the whole class he wanted to sit with. "It better not be in…" he began to mutter as the teacher taped a large piece of paper on the white board. "Ah… fuck – it's in alphabetical order."

A thoughtful look spread across Gaara's face as he stood up with his bag and made his way to the middle of the room to sit between Rock Lee and a bored looking girl with large brown eyes and freckles. Sasuke himself slowly began to rise from his seat when he froze. Naruto was pounding up the aisle towards him with a grin on his face. A sick feeling rose to his stomach and his heart picked up speed, although his expression revealed nothing, as always. He just stared back with his deep stare. "Sasuke-kun! Looks like we're sitting together at the back,"

"Yeah." His felt his breath catch in his throat a little as Naruto smiled at him. Something told him that the fox's smile was a fake. "Well this is awkward," he said, still not moving his facial muscles in any revealing way.

"Nah, it's all good y'know," he said, but his fake smile wavered and he diverted his gaze away.

Sasuke moved to where Gaara had been sitting and made way for Naruto to sit down too. The blond plonked down and dropped his bag on the floor with a thud. His normally soft and smiling face was hard and dark as he focused away from Uchiha. Sasuke took a deep breath. "Naruto – I know you had a rough time in primary and intermediate."

Naruto shook his head and flashed another fake smile his way. "No really, Sasuke-kun. It's all good. I'm over it, y'know."

"No you aren't. You haven't talked to anyone from the old days," Sasuke said.

"I said it's all good," Naruto bit out, slamming his new books onto the desk. The raven-haired boy's eyes grew dark and he fell silent. The two sat together, both unwilling to cross into the other's threshold, as the others bustled around. After what seemed like a very long time, everyone had found his or her seats. Gaara was too far away to chat – Naruto plus a row of desks plus Rock Lee severed all communication. It wasn't great for Naruto either – Deidara was on the opposite end of the room with Neji.

Sasuke felt his heart burning a little in his chest. He had been in the same class as Naruto all through primary and intermediate – but this was the first time they'd been in homeroom together in high school. Back when they were little right up until when they were ten Sasuke and Naruto had a weird friendship. They were supposed to be best friends, but there was a time where Sasuke taunted the blue-eyed boy and tortured him. At first it was harmless banter. But then came the lies. Uchiha found the venom his family was so famous for and he poisoned Uzumaki's childhood with it. By the time Sasuke came to and realised he had injured someone he cared for, it was too late. The lies gave reason for everyone in the school to despise him. He would come home with black eyes and covered in blood sometimes. What was worse was the alienation. It nearly tore him apart – him being a nine year old kid. It took a year for the dark-eyed boy to work up the guts to find his friend who he cared for with every cell in his body and beg him for forgiveness – but he was greeted with a beating. Since then the two hadn't spoken. But they had both come out as different people. Unwary of the others' actions, both decided that going to a totally new school with new people was the best chance to rebuild themselves, and as a result they ended up in the same place. Sasuke became completely withdrawn – more so than ever before, afraid that if he didn't keep as low a profile as possible he would only hurt more people he loved. And Naruto, well he found new friends and was able to completely come out of his shell and express his jovial and happy nature.

But while that was the end of the story for the blue-eyed boy, Sasuke couldn't let Naruto go. Though it took a while for the boy to realise that he was actually deeply in love with him, he always had a strong determination to fix things between them. In self-hatred, Sasuke had transformed himself from an unconscious bully to being so protective that Gaara called him paranoid. Realising this, he promised himself that he could fix everything between him and Naruto. All of it. While Naruto didn't openly hate at Sasuke, Sasuke was fairly sure that inside he did – though the blue eyes always did their best to be kind. Some people would be content that he hid the hatred where no one could see it, but not only did Sasuke want to crush it – he wanted to fill Naruto's heart with the bond that made them best friends in the first place. And if he could, perhaps he could make Naruto fall in love with him too.

"You must hate me so much…" Sasuke whispered, a veil of sadness suddenly falling over him.

Naruto scratched at a spot on the desk. "Yeah."

"Naruto… I –"

"Do me a favour and don't talk to me, okay?" he said casually, still poking at the spot. "It's taken a lot of energy not to spread shit about you up till now. Don't push it."

"Is it that bad?"

Naruto shot him a glare that matched Sasuke's own abilities, making him shudder. "Oh yeah, it's that bad," he hissed.

"But… we hang out in the same place."

"Believe me, if it were up to me we'd go somewhere else. But it would blow your cover, because if I voiced how against being in the same room as you I am, they probably would've noticed your bastardation."

Sasuke snorted. "My what?"

"Are we all settled?" the harsh voice rang out again. "That's great. So now I can welcome you all to class 3-TE. My name is Tsunade, but you can all call me Tsunade." The room slowly began to tune out as the woman with the large dowries paced up and down the room. "The first thing I want to talk to you about is this year's exams…"

Haruno was the first to leap up when the school bell rang, and to Sasuke's dismay she immediately ran up to his desk and pinned him to his seat with an intense stare.

He glared at her a little, but was too surprised to raise his full battlements. "What do you want?" he asked her with a sneer at the corner of his lips.

"Just wait," she replied mysteriously, glancing at the befuddled looking Naruto. The boy with the spiky blond hair shook his head, shouldered his bag and got up to leave, brushing roughly past Sasuke and smiling sweetly at Sakura.

To be honest, Sasuke was a bit impressed with Sakura's lack of fear of him. Maybe he didn't like her after all. Maybe she was a lesbian (because if a girl didn't fancy him she was automatically a lesbian). "What is it?" he asked again when all except Gaara had left the room.

"Are you in love with that guy you were just sitting with?"

Suddenly, Gaara's eyes flashed as his friend went from cool and calm to bright red and fuming. "Wh… What?" he spluttered, staring up at the girl with pink hair and a very blunt manner of speaking.

A look of satisfaction spread across the girl's face. "I thought so."

Sasuke simply gaped at her, unsure of whether he should deny everything or beg her to keep her mouth shut. He chose the latter. He sprang up with one seat and in one fell swoop had Sakura pinned by her shoulders up against the wall. "If you tell anyone… that'd be bad. Okay?" The raven's mind flicked to his father's face if he ever knew.

She laughed nervously, pulling his hands away. "I wasn't going to tell anyone. I was just curious."

Feeling shaky, the boy grabbed his bag with a huff and began to march out of the room behind Gaara, with Sakura in hot pursuit. When they were just out the door, he whipped around to face her, his face still more revealing than he would've liked. "How in the shit did you know that?" The girl simply shrugged. "Come on. You must have found out somehow. Someone must've told you something… or you must've…" Suddenly his eyes widened as a smirk slipped across her lips.

"You were the mouse," Gaara stated, reading his friend's thoughts.

Now it was Haruno's turn to turn red. "What… what mouse?"

The boy with the blood red hair folded his arms, his stern expression unwavering. "I thought so."

All of a sudden, Sasuke couldn't help but snigger at the naivety of the girl. "A mouse. That's… ironic." Gaara seemed to smirk as well, as they walked off, leaving her behind in the wake of their laughter.

It was hilarious to think that whole stunt just pulled off by Sakura was meant to impress them. She probably figured that she had a gift that she could show off to them, but without realising that no, actually she's not the only one in the world that could transform into an animal. In fact there were five people in his year that Sasuke knew for a fact had that ability. Gaara, for starters, could change into a lizard. Deidara, Naruto's friend, had the ability to become a golden ferret. Shikamaru could choose at any time to turn into a black dog. Sasuke himself could transform his shape into an inky black snake (as could the rest of the males in his family). And it was through this ability that he was able to bond so well with Naruto, whose power was to morph into a fox. And that list doesn't include Itachi's animal buddies and these people's families. Sakura clearly wasn't expecting Sasuke to know people could change into animals, but she was wrong – he was an expert.

"Wait," Shikamaru said, shaking his head and tapping his pencil on the desk, "what did you say her name was?"

"Haruno Sakura. She was probably spying on us when we casually brought up the fact that… well you know." Sasuke had a boyish grin on his face; his mind still on the way Sakura had reacted when they had shot her down. Both Sasuke and Shikamaru had put down Creative Writing in their list of subjects for their last year of school – it was super easy and they basically got to muck around most of the time. And their teacher, Kakashi, was pretty laid back. In fact, this period they'd spent the entire time just chatting because the teacher was hungover. And it's not like anyone was going to nark on him – even the goody-good kids kept their mouths shut because most of them didn't like getting told how to write anyway.

Shikamaru gave his friend a sharp look. "You are poisonous."

"No, I'm venomous." The boy with the killer eyes broadened his nasty grin. "Get it right, Shikamaru."

"Well, what I'm saying is…" he began, though he kept biting his lip as though he didn't really know what he was saying. "Okay well… you could cut her some slack. I mean, I didn't know there was anyone else like us until I met you and Gaara," he said, his voice fading.

"Are you suggesting we hang out with her?" he asked, although it was unclear in his expression as to whether he thought Nara Shikamaru's idea was a good one or a bad one.

"To be honest, yeah," the brunet said, his eyes going dark. "This may sound nasty, but since she knows and since she's one of us… it'll be good to have her on our side – there are plenty of people who can't stand us and would do anything for some dirt on an Uchiha."

Sasuke shrugged. "Yeah. You're right. It'd probably be best to try and get to know her." He wanted to smile again to show that he really did agree with Shikamaru, but he couldn't summon it. Naruto had spoken to him for the first time since their brawl seven years ago. And truth be told, it wasn't great. He placed a tired hand on his chilled cheek, wondering what that kitsune would do for some dirt on him. His eyes snapped back to Shikamaru as he realised that the wily looking boy was shaking his shoulder.

"Hey. Were you listening to me?"

"No… I'm sorry." Shikamaru rolled his eyes.

"Of course you weren't. I was saying we could invite her to come with us – you, Gaara and me – to Choji's party on Friday night," he finished.

Suddenly, Sasuke leaned right up close to Shikamaru's face, making him blush in surprise when he received the force of the boy's intense stare. "If I ever hook up with a man I met in a toilet, I want you to shoot me."

He sighed, forcing away Sasuke's face with his hand. "You still aren't listening, you hopeless, lonely, prick."

The boy let his face sink into his exercise book. "Fine…" he mumbled through the paper. "I'll invite her to come along. You take Gaara as your one guest and I'll take Sakura as mine."

The boy with the quick eyes smirked, thinking how ironic everything was. "Well break starts in five minutes – do you know where she might be?"

"What am I, her stalker or something? How the fuck should I know?" he snapped.

"I was just asking, you gay fuck." Shikamaru dug his elbow into the back of Sasuke's neck, making him growl. "So we need to go looking for her, don't we?"

Face still pinned to his desk by Shikamaru, he crossed his arms with a muffled huff. "What about Gaara?"

Shikamaru picked up a textbook with his free hand and balanced it on the back of his friend's head. "He's in the class next door, idiot," he sighed, adding his workbook and pencil case to the pile.

"Mmf…"

Suddenly, Deidara who had been sitting just in front of them turned in his chair and leant forward, resting his chin on the desk in front of Sasuke. He had a devilish look on his face, as though he was going sit quietly and wait for Sasuke to notice him, rather than just mention that he was there instead.

Shikamaru sniggered. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"I don't know…" Sasuke muttered.

"Not you. Him."

Sasuke shot up, sending the pile of stuff in all directions. He frowned slightly at Deidara, ignoring Shikamaru who was cursing and picking up his equipment off the floor. "Hokuto Deidara?"

The blond raised an eyebrow, still not lifting his chin off the desk. "Sasuke, we were in homeroom together last year too. You hurt my feelings, snake-boy."

Sasuke sneered. "Is there something you need?" He didn't enjoy venturing from his small group of friends.

He sat up, the devilish grin still whacked across his face. "No. But there's something you need, right? You wanna find Sakura."

Shikamaru leant back in his chair with hard eyes. "It's more like we're obliged to. Why? Do you know where she'll be?"

Deidara shrugged. "Maybe."

"There is no maybe. You either do or you don't." Sasuke hissed, his eyes narrowing.

"Well," the blond began, propping up his chin on his elbow, "Kiba asked me to memorise Haruno's timetable, because he likes her but he isn't in any of her classes."

"Care to tell us where we can find her in… two minutes?" Shikamaru asked, quickly glancing at the wall clock.

"Again, maybe." His eyes turned sly as he shifted his gaze to Sasuke. "First I want to know… How come Naruto always freezes up when your name is mentioned?" Sasuke froze up. "I mean, until today I hadn't even seen you two talk to one another," he continued, "and then when he came out of homeroom he looked really angry, but he wouldn't tell me why." He flicked his hair out of his face, showing two eyes brimming with curiosity. "I was thinking that you could tell me, Sasuke."

Shikamaru stared at his friend, whose face had turned to the iciest, darkest, most poisonous glare that he had ever seen him pull off.

Sasuke felt his fists shaking under the table. It was taking every ounce of his energy not to smash the smirk off Deidara's face. "Uzumaki is a happy-go-lucky fuckwit. I don't know about his issues, and you know what? I don't give a shit. They've got nothing to do with me. I can't help it if I hate him so much that just being near me makes him conduct my deep repugnance."

Deidara's eyes fell dark as his hair flopped back over the left half of his face again. "Wow, Uchiha. You're everything people say about you. And more. What the fuck sort of a lie was that? You don't know him apparently, but somehow you hate him. Why can't you just tell me so I can help you?"

Sasuke leapt to his feet as the bell sounded, his face an absolute mask. "Like hell I'd make any kind of deal with you! I'll find her myself. You can take that inquiry and shove up your ass."

"Prick." The blond muttered, his smile now a mere whisper.

Shikamaru rose to his feet. "I suggest you stop there," he warned Deidara gently, his face somewhat apologetic. "Even I don't know what it's about. And I gave up asking a long time ago."

Deidara raised his eyebrows at Sasuke, who looked ready to grab him and rip his ponytail out of his scalp. "She's just had netball training. She'll be around the changing rooms."

"Hn." The dark-eyed boy muttered, still glaring at the offender.

"Thanks a lot," Shikamaru said to him, trying to move Sasuke along. "Come on."

Deidara's smile slowly returned as Shikamaru and Sasuke disappeared out of the door. "Well… that endeavour wasn't a complete failure," he said to Kobayashi Sasori who had been eavesdropping next to him. "Now we know that whatever this weird issue is, it isn't just one way."

Sasori sighed, resting his cheek on the desk and smiling sadly at his friend. "I wish we didn't have to investigate… It'd be so much nicer if Naruto just _told_ us what is wrong."

The blond slipped his arm over the redhead's shoulder and kissed him on the cheek. "He will."

Gaara, Shikamaru and Sasuke found Sakura standing outside the changing rooms, still in her white and pink netball gear, chatting to Hinata, who ducked away to change when she saw them approaching. The jovial expression that had been on the cherry blossom's face before evaporated like dry ice in the desert as she turned to face the bastards who had been so nasty to her earlier. Gaara and Shikamaru stopped walking, but Sasuke continued right up towards her, his face as cold and emotionless as ever. Sakura shot him a reproachful look. "What do you want, Uchiha, to mock the new girl some more?"

He smirked as some of his dark hair fell across one of his eyes. "Actually, I was going to ask you out." Sakura blushed, but she didn't let down her defensive stance. Sasuke pushed some hair out his eyes. "Well you were right about my sexuality, so I meant we could go out as friends."

She sneered. "Why? You're just an asshole anyway."

"True, but Gaara and Shikamaru put up with me." He dropped his smirk, realising he was only making things worse. "Listen, I'm sorry. It was uncalled for to be so nasty to you earlier. And we thought about it. I mean, you seem pretty nice and what we're saying is… we'd like to make up for being mean, and we'd like to start over. See if we can be friends."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, taking a step away from him. "You venomous little prat. You can't have me dancing like you do with so many other girls that you have on strings."

Sasuke licked his lips, trying to rethink his strategy. "Don't. I'm not like that."

"Then why do you want to get close to me?" she bit out. "You don't expect me to believe that it's something simple like 'I just want to be friends'."

This time he couldn't stop himself from glaring. "Are you suggesting I have ulterior motives?"

"I know you have ulterior motives," she replied coolly.

"Fine! I'd get close to you to convince you not to tell my secret. And Shikamaru feels a bond towards you because he can identify with not initially realising that there were other people like us," he finally admitted, glaring furiously at the lockers to his left.

Gaara let out an exasperated groan. "You weren't supposed to tell her that."

Sakura stared at the redhead, before her flaming eyes shot back to Sasuke. "Firstly, you moron, I wasn't going to tell anyone your secret. I'm not a bitch. And secondly, what do you mean people like us?"

She was about to have her ears abused by Sasuke's frustrated explanation, but Shikamaru stepped forward and stopped him before he started. "You're a mouse, he's a poisonous, horrible little snake, Gaara's a lizard, I'm a dog, Deidara's a ferret, Naruto's a fox," he said, calmly clarifying 'people like us'.

"Thanks," she said, with a loud and grateful sigh. "Gee, Sasuke. Could you try being more vague next time? I got really confused." She let her body relax and she stood up from her defensive pose. "Well… they seem like perfectly fair reasons to try out friendship." She gave another loud sigh, before looking back to Sasuke with a big grin. "So, you were asking me out?"

Sasuke suppressed a groan as a few girls in the surrounding area turned to them with open mouths. "Yeah. There's a party at Choji's on Friday, and I was thinking we could go as friends." A few of the surrounding girls took a breath of relief.

Sakura shrugged, still grinning. "Sure, I don't see why not."

Finally, he thought. "Okay, well here's my number." He handed her a piece of paper with his cell phone number scrawled in loopy writing on it. Before turning to leave, he shot the girl a look. "Don't you dare let anyone see that," he warned menacingly.

She smirked. "Get out of my sight, you bastard. I gotta go change."

He smirked back. Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all.

**OMG chapter 1! Warning: chapter 2 – the party is vague. It was kind of just a device for the setting and for getting Sakura more into the group. There was probably a better way to do it but whatever :P**


	2. Shallow Breathing

**Oh look it's chapter 2. Joy. Hope you like it - I sure as hell do! It has freakin cars in it! Yay cars! Sorry if you wanted a detailed party, but there was really nothing interesting in it and Sasuke doesn't remember what happened and neither do i. Twas one hell of a night. Only a player wakes up in... a garden. Anyway, bear with chapters 1 and 2. It's important that they set the scene so that you can see the development of characters and plot more dramatically. Youpee pour moi... D'ac... J'espere que vous aimez l'histoire**

**Also someone asked if more characters will be introduced and my answer to this is... Yes eventually :P**

2 – Shallow Breathing

_Hey Sasuke, it's me, Sakura. 4got we had Friday morning off so didn't bother 2 chat yesterday. Wat's the story 4 2nite?_ He stared blearily at the message blinking at him on his Samsung. His chest felt heavy and sore and his lids kept trying to shut. A sigh escaped his lips as he tried to block out the thought of having to go to school in an hour or so. Apart from homeroom, which wasn't on Fridays, the two weren't in any classes together, so it was probably smart of her to assume they might not get a chance to talk before then. But Sasuke had planned to sleep in at least another half an hour longer, when his pillow suddenly started vibrating and bleeping loudly, so he could hardly help but think murderous thoughts as he disdainfully replied to her.

_Where do u liv? Ill pick u up and take u 2 chojis._ Having jabbed in a message and jabbed send, he threw the phone back under the pillow, and threw his covers over his head. She was going to reply anyway, but if he accidentally fell asleep and didn't hear the bleep, all the better. He lay in his warm, squishy bed, waiting for the arms of sleep to carry him off again. But just as he was reaching the threshold, his pillow began to chirrup. He groaned and clutched his head in annoyance. It was like listening to someone shaking a metal box filled with nails. "Fuck orff…" he mumbled, groping for his phone again and dragging it in front of his face.

_Dw ill come 2 urs. All the girls no where u live ;) soz jk. Wht time? _For a few seconds, Sasuke found himself surprised that Sakura already knew where he lived, but figured it was probably Ino or one of his stalkers who told her. Creepy. He shook his head before tapping a reply.

_Kewl. C u at 9? O shit almost 4got… u have 2 bring ur own drinks but u can hav sum of mine cos ive got lots. _This time he let it rest on his chest, feeling slightly more alert. He closed his eyes and listened to the birds until the buzzing of his phone outsang them.

_O crap yea can I pay u bak 4 some drinks thnx. 9 sounds gr8 ttfn :3_

No probs. C u 2nite -_-

Since Monday, when they'd first met Haruno Sakura, she'd grown on all three of the boys a lot. She had one hell of a wit, and could get a laugh out of any of them – even Gaara at times couldn't help himself. On top of that, Sakura was thoughtful and selfless. "She… she's just so nice!" Shikamaru had burst out one day when she ran back to grab his pencil case that he accidentally left in his calculus class. And he exclaimed it again when she brought brownies to lunch on Wednesday. "I always bake brownies on Tuesday nights to share with my friends," she told them calmy, as they gaped at the teddy bear tin filled with limp paper towels and moist, black brownies sprinkled with icing sugar. And upon the explosion of intense, buttery chocolate flavour melting in his mouth, Sasuke realised that perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing to have a feminine touch to the group. It was the first time he'd been a friend with someone so happy and sweet since… well since Naruto.

Sasuke felt his heart ache like it always did when he thought of his childhood friend. Thinking of the fox boy's astonishingly blue eyes turning cold like they did on Monday shattered him. During that week Naruto hadn't spoken much to Sasuke, despite the fact that they sat with each other in homeroom, took P.E. together and were both in Judo club. And he couldn't figure it out – whether this was the thing that was bothering him, or whether it was simply the fact that he couldn't get it out of his head. Sasuke wanted to be emotion deficit – it was a part of his personality. But fox boy had meant a lot to him in the old days, and it was around intermediate that he began to look at his old friend differently. Initially, he was impressed by Naruto's strength against the constant bullying and ability to stay jovial and happy, and could even identify with his skill of hiding his true emotions. From there, an obsession grew within the snake boy. He found himself fascinated by Naruto's every movement, even from a distance. If he closed his eyes he could imagine a world where he had been a better friend, and he and the fox would always be together. At all costs, he knew that one day he and Naruto would be friends again.

When Sasuke turned eleven was when girls first started looking at him with hunger, and even still they hadn't stopped looking at him in that way. Though it was flattering at first, he never felt any excitement or interest in the love letters he suddenly became in the habit of receiving. It used to tug at his heartstrings to have to turn a girl after they sent him a letter. He hated watching their eyes fill with tears. But this pain was soon numbed as the number of rejections began to quickly stack up. One day, though, he received a love letter – one of the soppiest he'd ever read – from 'love and kisses, Managi David,' a boy in his year at the time. The letter soon became crinkled and worn by the number of times Sasuke had to reread it. He wasn't touched by the sentiment, and he certainly didn't return David's feelings. In fact, initially he thought that it was a joke. However, having had his attention suddenly drawn to the scrawny boy, the truth became clear and he decided the letter was genuine. That was his first encounter with the 'homosexual community'. It fascinated him, and he frequently would find himself thinking about it. In his mind he even preferred the idea of being with a man than with a woman. But he wasn't homosexual, he decided. Gender, or the logistics of the courtship wasn't really an issue. There was only one who he wanted to be with forever, and only one who he loved. It only took a week after receiving the letter from the gay boy for Sasuke to start seeing Naruto differently, and as much as he tried, he couldn't make it go away.

A shiver ran up the raven's spine as his pale toes made contact with the chilling tiles of his the hallway. His eyes narrowed and he wrapped his blue dressing gown tighter around his body, preparing himself mentally for the frosty journey between his room and the bathroom five metres away.

"Morning, Sasuke." His gaze flickered down to Itachi's bobbing head that was climbing up the stairs. His brother's eyes seemed tired and bored again – back to normal. The first week of working life must have cut him back down to size.

"Hn," Sasuke replied, slightly irritated that his bathroom run had been cut off halfway, and that he was having to stand out in the cold. Itachi reached the top of the stairs and leaned on the banister, regarding his young brother with down turned lips.

"You're going to tonight's party, ne," he asked, though his voice wasn't questioning. Sasuke nodded, brow furrowed. Itachi smirked. "I'm not going – I just happen to know everything. I am the chairman's first son."

"I pity you," the younger said with a cheeky grin. Itachi grinned back.

"Go have your shower, dobe. Sakura won't screw you if you stink."

"Hn," he replied, though the smile was still pasted to his face. His brother knew perfectly well that Sasuke was gay. "I don't stink." Itachi snickered.

"See you this afternoon, probably," he said with a nod of the head, before crossing the hall to his room and closing the door.

Thanks to Itachi, all thoughts of Naruto were brushed away for the time being – though Sasuke was never very good at keeping those thoughts at bay for long.

Sakura was right to assume that she wouldn't see Sasuke until the party – he was at a chemistry tutorial at break. And after a dragged out school Friday, his tired body was ready for a drink to wind down. But like a duck in a net watching the flock flying away, he watched his friends leave him at the gym to go home as the school bell rang at the end of the day. In a way though, he felt comforted by the thought that he'd be able to get some solid training. Lazy holidays had made him lose shape a bit. Perhaps he should have trained during the holidays, but going out for a jog in Australia wasn't an option in the wet season. Being able to work out again was a relief. Judo was great fun for Sasuke. Being good at it helped too – his ego got a decent stroking. Oh, this of course was being conditional on whether or not Naruto was his sparring partner. It was strange that neither of them quit in a way. But Sasuke felt determined to use it to get closer to the fox boy. Naruto stayed in spite of snake boy, who once ruined his existence.

He quickly changed into his gi with his other male club companions, forcing himself to stare at his own face in the mirror, avoiding checking out the tanned body across the room. Thrusting his clothes into his pack and swinging it over his shoulder, he quickly marched out across the gym to the back door onto the playing field – on sunny days they would often practice outside so that they didn't have to get out the padded mats. A smile couldn't help but creep across his stubborn lips as a cool breeze whipped through his loose and baggy attire, and his toes curled as the grass tried to squeeze up between them. The energy he desperately needed was returning to him with each clean breath he took. Finally back in the Judo spotlight again, ready to make his yearly debut, Sasuke wasn't prepared to be knocked down by anyone. If anyone was going to be doing the smashing, it was going to be him. He was the spring-loaded viper, or the strangling python of doom – no even worse. He was Sasuke Uchiha – the king of the school, pretty much. With Itachi gone, his raven-haired brother was the new school idol, and this was where he showed it.

"Uchiha-senpai!" A shrill male voice called from somewhere behind. Sasuke shot around with a bullet-stopping glare. A small, mousy looking boy with freckles and unkempt hair froze mid-run and turned pale, his gi still swaying in the wind. "Uh…"

"What do you want?" he snapped, covering the poor first year in acid. At this point, his fists quivering with power, the snake wanted nothing more than to pound this kid to shit. "Come any closer and I'll make you eat worms." But suddenly, it was Sasuke's turn to do the freezing, as a familiar voice burst from the open standing gym doors.

"Shut your bastard mouth, teme!" Naruto stepped out into the sun, his golden foxy hair glowing brilliantly. Sasuke slithered into the shadow of the tree, in attempt to hide his face in case he blushed. A look of admiration passed the boy's face as he turned to Naruto – who was fuming. "Quit bullying this kid – just because you're in a good mood."

Sasuke tried to object, but his words seemed to claw their way back inside his mouth, as Naruto was soon flanked by Sasori and Tobi. Still, he managed to hold his defences, and he glared right back at the mob. Tobi crossed his arms, a smirk placed loosely on his lips. "That's right – hide in the shadows like the hideous little reptile you are!" he teased. Sasuke, Sasori and Naruto all shot their glances towards him with wide eyes. None of them remembered telling Tobi about… The fox boy bared his teeth at his friend.

"Shut it, Tobi. Don't take it too far." The boy with short, black hair shrugged.

"That's right Naruto – aggression will only cloud your judgement," came a voice. Sasuke raised his gaze with half lidded eyes, trying to think of a good reason for him not to feel aggressive at this point. "We're here to learn to stop fights, not to start them." Mirthful eyes looked his class up and down as Kakashi took his centre stage, beckoning the students to make a circle around him. Sasuke pushed his chest out and took his place opposite Naruto in the circle, so that he couldn't be seen past his sensei. Shuffling his feet uncomfortably and looking across the circle, Tobi was met with a venomous glare. The teacher coughed, glancing first at the sweating boy with the short, black hair, then behind him to the fuming Sasuke. The snake-like boy didn't appreciate being insulted. Smirking, Kakashi placed his hand on his chin. "I think I'm seeing some tension in the group – so as a treat for the first training session of the year (as Wednesday's training was really only a briefing for the newbies), let's give Sasuke and Tobi a chance to let off some steam." His smirk turned to a grin. "I can't think of a better way to begin." The raven laughed darkly to himself. Perfect, he thought to himself. I'll crush that upstart.

The assorted mix of year groups let out a low murmur of excitement as they backed away from Uchiha and Obito and sat in a large ring around them. Worrying eyes from Tobi darted around the circle until they met Sasori's. The redhead grinned. "Kick his ass, Tobi!" Feeling slightly reconciled, he turned back to Sasuke, and immediately paled. The most powerful prodigy in the Judo group, rivalled only by Naruto and Sasori stared back at him. And he was grinning. Black eyes were saying to him 'this is going to be very easy, and very satisfying.' A shiver ran down his spine.

"Well," Kakashi said, breaking the loud silence, "for those of you who don't know the rules, this is Judo – we don't kick the shit out of each other. That's Taekwondo crap. We slam, throw, choke and smash the shit out of each other!" he said, before letting out a chuckle. "Which believe it or not, is actually a lot safer," he added, when he was met by some terrified stares from the three first years. "Boys, don't leave the circle, don't kill each other, don't maim each other…" A strangled gasp escaped from the mousy boy. "Whatever, you guys know the rules. Fight!"

The brighter waited for Tobi to charge him, and pushed his back leg further out for stability. Then taking a quick, but deep breath he waited for the swing of the fast arm. It came and was grabbed and then twisted around, causing Tobi to throw another wild arm toward the side of his gi, but Sasuke stopped it with his other hand. He threw his leg out. Tobi felt it try to trip him, but he pulled his leg out of the way. However Sasuke already had the grip he needed, and for the brief moment while his rival's foot was in the air, he managed to shift his grip and spin Tobi over. The boy made a quick save with his forearm on the ground and spun away before the raven had a chance to attack him again. Sasuke countered Tobi's recovery and used it to quickly eddy his way around him and wait for the boy to spring to his feet once again.

Gasps kept springing from the new members' side of the circle as Sasuke was grabbed by Tobi at the shoulder and flipped over his back. But the rest of the circle was more subdued – they had seen this before – where Sasuke would use his enemy's attack to strengthen his own, then when he had them on the ground he would coil around them and squeeze them to constrict movement, preventing any recovery and winning him the fight. And it was happening now with Tobi, just as it did with all the champion's other opponents. The boy's eyes widened and the audience held it's breath, waiting for Sasuke to do his worst. Having been flipped over the other's back, their arms were now twisted up like elastic. And with a grip like talons, Tobi sensed what was coming next. With a grunt from the raven, Tobi was pulled off his feet and into the air. Spinning like a corkscrew, he crashed to the ground with a loud thud. Dizzy from the spinning and from the force of the landing, the boy could do nothing as he was pounced on by the python. Sasuke slithered around his body and tightened his muscles, squeezing Tobi until he couldn't move. The boy shuddered. Sasuke was staring at him with eyes filled with the deepest repulsion. He took a sharp breath out and felt the snake squeeze tighter.

"Uh… Sasuke wins!" Kakashi said, chuckling nervously. "Sasuke..?"

Tobi couldn't breathe. The legs around his arms and chest squeezed as they felt him breathe out, knowing that it would mean he couldn't breathe back in. His eyes filled with fear as he stared at the sneering beast. "P… please… let go…" he managed to say, but was only met with a deeper glare, as those nasty legs tightened even more.

"Never, ever, ever insult me again," the python hissed, "or those ribs will crack and those lungs will never breathe fresh air again."

Sasuke smirked, somewhat satisfied as his petrified prey let out a shaky nod. He slowly released the tension in his legs and pulled himself away and up. Cool smile on his face, he turned to the newbies, and particularly the mousy boy. "That's how it's done. So if any of you want to be in a serious fight, you know who to piss off." Naruto felt a shiver of rage run up his spine as Tobi shakily collapsed beside him. Pointed fangs glistened as he hissed in the direction of the snake. Even so, he held his tongue – despite the hate he felt for Uchiha, he knew he'd only regret it if he aggravated things between them more.

Taking his place back in the centre of the circle again, Kakashi began his first training of the year – starting with the formalities.

Sasuke's body felt heavy, but buzzing by the time he climbed in the passenger's seat of the convertible Chevrolet Corvette – dubbed 'Lilou' by Itachi. Upon Itachi's naming of the car, Sasuke was delighted at an opportunity to point out what a hypocrite his brother was for having ever calling him a 'puff'. All he received was a sharp retort that he gave the car a girly name because it was super sexy – to which he only received a raised eyebrow. The snake wasn't all that into cars – he just knew that there was something called a Dodge Viper and that it would probably be ironic if he ever bought one, and that he didn't want to be constantly be sitting in the back of a Rolls Royce Phantom for the rest of his life. He knew so little about cars that he didn't realise how snobby it was to not want to be in a Rolls Royce, which Itachi, the vehicle enthusiast, reminded him constantly.

"Good first week, Sasuke?" Itachi asked, without looking his direction.

"Hn," the snake replied with half-lidded eyes, as the engine revved and they began to roll forward.

"Nani… Sasuke will you get very drunk tonight?" he asked his brother – though his voice didn't hint disapproval.

"Probably. Why?" Itachi smirked.

"I just always wondered what it'd be like morphing when you're drunk." His brother sniggered.

"Why don't you just try it out for yourself?" he teased, poking Itachi's knee playfully.

"When alcohol stops making me go nuts and violent, maybe I'll try it." Sasuke smirked, but his brother's brow furrowed. "Well this has been a fun little chat, Sasuke. But I must ask – how's it going with Naruto?" Now it was the viper's turn to frown.

"That dobe still hates me."

"Hn."

When Lilou eventually rolled up outside the Uchiha estate, Sasuke didn't even wait for his brother to stop the car before jumping out.

"Hey! That's dangerous!" his brother roared after him, his voice dripping with menace. The younger knew it wouldn't be wise to stop having pissed off the dangerous Itachi, so tore open the door and dashed up the stairs to change out of his dirty gi. He also wanted another shower, to wash away the sweat. Kakashi had used him as uke today to demonstrate different techniques to the youngers (uke in the sense that he was the one being attacked). So when he turned the gold tap, and warm water washed through his hair and ran down his body he let out an audible moan of relief.

Twenty minutes later, he stepped out of the shower with dripping hair and steamy shoulders. Wiping away the steam from the mirror, he checked himself out. All he could see was that hideous reptile staring back at him. Feeling in an odd mood, he let his body shrink and scale up. His forehead began to slope steeper and steeper, as his skin turned from soft white to slippery black, and his eyes began to shift to the top of his head. Thin lips parted, as a forked tongue gently probed the air, tasting the steam. The black snake that had once been Sasuke Uchiha sat coiled up on the sink, still staring at his reflection in the mirror. _People may think that I am 'beautiful'. They may admire me for being 'beautiful' my whole life – but how can it be true? As long as this is how I truly am inside, I am doomed to be this cold-blooded reptile forever. I would probably have been okay with that too, but thanks to that dobe, I now have a part of me that wants to be the playful fox. Yet I can't even be with him._ The snake in the mirror stared back, its red eyes aglow and its glazed black leather shining like it was made of opals. _He's the only one impervious to my venom._

When Sakura first laid eyes on the Uchiha manor, a sick feeling began to bubble up from her stomach. Being such an elite school, she always figured that the chairman of Uchiha Academy would be very wealthy. On top of that, Sasuke was kind of a snob, and he was supposed to be the closest one in the family to being 'laid back'. The sick feeling was just dread at the thought of the intimidation to follow. She rapped the gold knocker hanging on the door and waited for it to swing open, expecting a servant or something to appear and turn her away. Instead, however, the door was pulled open by a frowning young man. Long black hair was tied in a ponytail and hard eyes stared down at her. The corners of his mouth were down turned, as though he was unaccustomed to smiling. His cheek bones sat high on his pale face and his straight nose had an admirably deep dig. Actually, he looked a lot Sasuke, though his face had even less warmth and none of Sasuke's softness. Sakura blinked up at him, feeling a wobble in her legs. The man's brow furrowed more deeply as he waited for the girl to explain her presence at this time in the evening. Suddenly, a deep blush rushed to her cheeks and she bowed.

"Konbanwa!" she cried, embarrassed that she had left him hanging for the explanation. "My name is Haruno Sakura. Sasuke-sama was expecting me." She looked up in time to see his face relaxed.

"Oh yes, of course. I forgot about the party." A smirk slid across his lips and as he brushed some hair out of his face. "I thought you might've just been a groupie." The rose-haired girl's eyes widened.

"You're in a band?" she asked him. He sniggered and shook his head. "Oh," she muttered, realising that he probably gets strange girls at his doorstep a lot. "I'm sorry, but are you Sasuke-sama's brother?"

"Hn," he replied, opening the door slightly more and gesturing for Sakura to enter. "Does my little brother really make you call him 'sama'?" The girl giggled as she stepped past him into a narrow hallway with a high ceiling.

"No – I was just trying to make a good impression. He does make me call him 'kun', though," she said, giving him a look of slight exasperation. A smile twitched and the boy nodded.

"Well, you can call me Itachi." Sakura beamed at him as he led her up a beautiful red staircase.

"Thanks, Itachi. I can't believe that Sasuke-kun was trying to tell me that _he's _the laid back one." Itachi sniggered again.

"Well, in some ways I guess he is." When they reached the top of the stairs he pointed to a white door across the pristine hallway. "That's his room there. Have a lovely night." He patted her soft hair before turning back down the stairs.

"Thanks again, Itachi," she called, a blush rising to her cheeks again. She quickly tapped on the door to Sasuke's room, but there was no reply. Itachi probably shouldn't have left her before confirming that his brother was actually there. "Sasuke-kun?" she called softly, as the door clicked open. Light spilled out into the hall as she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her when she felt warm air rushing away. The young man must have been very tidy – unlike her, who always left her bed unmade and her room a mess, the walls covered in posters and graffiti. Not a single wrinkle was visible on the blue bedspread, and the mahogany bedposts were untarnished too. His walls were mostly empty, except for a periodic table and bookshelves. The carpet was clear of clutter and his clothes hung neatly in his closet. And his dresser was tidy as well – it was as if everything had been put away except for a black leathery thing that was resting on a cushion on his bedside table. There was really nothing else in the room, so why would this be left out? Her legs began to move her closer, and she stretched out a curious hand to touch the strange bundle of leather. It was soft and squishy, like touching a waxy leaf. It was a long bundle, coiled around itself like a… "Snake!" she squealed, as it raised its head, blinking blearily at her. She stumbled back so her butt fell onto the windowsill, as she stared in shock at the red-eyed serpent. "Sasu… Sasuke-kun! Is that you? It better be you!" she cried, clutching her heart. The snake's mouth opened slightly, making the girl flinch at the sight of his fangs. Shaking its head, it slithered onto the bed before its body seemed to contort and expand. By the time Sakura had blinked, it was Sasuke who was sitting on the bed and the snake had gone. He glared at her.

"Nani, Sakura? You don't have to look so freaked out!" he snapped, slightly offended by Haruno's expression. At this, her face softened and she smiled.

"Gomen, Sasuke-kun. I didn't realise you were a snake – I thought it was some kind of toy or something. Got a bit of a fright…" Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah well gomen nasai to you too. Snakes have no sense of hearing so I didn't hear you come in." The pink haired girl shrugged.

"Well I'm here now. Let's go to that party!" The boy nodded and stood up, grabbing a heavy looking bag – probably containing alcohol. "I met Itachi before."

"Hn," Sasuke muttered, only half listening, as he made his way to the door and opened it for his friend.

"He's way nicer than you are, Sasuke-kun."

"Yes he is. Shall we go?" he said, his permanent frown unfaltering.

By the time they had made their way down the stairs and out the front door, the Rolls Royce Phantom escort was already there; ready to take them to Choji's house.

"Oh my god!" Sakura squealed, running her fingers along the smooth metallic-purple paint. Then with a little spin she cried; "It's a Rolls! I'm in heaven!" and leapt into the back seat of the huge car without an invitation from Sasuke.

Sasuke watched her pour herself into the luxurious, creamy brown leather, her face steaming over. Clambering in after her, he slammed the door shut and gestured to the driver to go. "What's your problem? Is the commoner excited?" he asked. It sounded to Sakura like it should've been a tease, but his voice wasn't playful and his eyes were dark and serious.

"Nani, Sasuke-kun? You're the one with the inferiority complex," she bit out, before turning to goggle at the sparkly blue lights on the dashboard. The dark-haired boy bit his lip.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked her, after a long pause. "I'm an Uchiha – I haven't got an inferiority complex. We are above most people. That's our identity."

Shaking her head, the pink haired girl began to explore the different backseat functions. "Aie!" She shrunk back as a small television unfolded from the seat in front of her.

"Don't," Sasuke growled, pushing the screen back into the seat. Then a slight smile spread across his lips, causing the girl's eyes to widen slightly. "Here, check this out." Turning around to a flat mahogany panel, he pressed down on a compartment, and a lid popped open revealing beautiful whiskey glasses bathed in a blue glow.

"Wa…" Sakura blinked as he pushed down on another compartment to reveal a chillbox, and two golden bottles of scotch. He picked up a bottle and gently gestured. "Yes, please. Oh wow, Sasuke. Do you think your family has enough money?"

"This is my father's and we are not meant to drink it." He placed two of the glasses on the counter and poured a small amount of the amber liquid into each one. "Though he's already opened it and he won't be able to tell, especially if I pee in it to make up the difference." Sakura giggled and went to pick up the closest glass, but Sasuke pushed her hand away and glared at her with a raised eyebrow. "You can't drink scotch without ice, Sakura."

Even though Sakura didn't have feelings for Sasuke, she couldn't help but blush when he said her name – her first name, at that – without using 'kun' or 'san'. Sasuke took her glass and pushed it against a button inside the chill box. Kerchunk! Kerchunk!

"Thank you." Sakura took her drink from the boy and sipped the bitter fluid. "God!" she spluttered. "I hope this isn't what you're taking to the party!" Sasuke didn't laugh at her expense, and instead reached into the bag and pulled out a bottle of vodka and a bottle of grape fanta.

"There's also coke. And we're sharing with Shikamaru."

"What about Gaara?" she asked.

"He hates alcohol. So does my brother, actually." Turning back to his scotch, he took a large gulp and a soft smile spread across his face. "I don't know why though." The cherry blossom bit her tongue.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun. Is Naruto going to be at the party?" The raven looked at her with a frown, before sculling the rest of his scotch.

"No. Are you going to finish that?"

"Here, you have it." Sasuke downed it in a second. Sakura snatched the glass off him with a glare. "Hey! You're going to get wasted if you drink that fast."

"That's the idea. Why do you think I brought along vodka?" Sakura leered at him. "What?" he snapped. "It's not like I make a habit of it."

"You incorrigible toad."

"That's incorrigible toad-kun to you."

"Shut the fuck up, Sasuke."

"Hey," he said, peeping out the dark window. "We're here."

Sasuke didn't end up peeing in his father's scotch – he only spat in it instead, and gave the bottle a shake. Tonight the raven decided to get wasted, all to commemorate the year that he new would be decidedly long, and decidedly awful. The next morning, his head was still spinning as he pulled the slugs out of his hair. Gaara came out of his house with wide eyes, screaming at the hung over Sasuke.

"I put you in the spare room with Shikamaru! How the hell did you end up in my garden?" he yelled, tapping his foot, but the raven simply groaned and rolled over into the daisies.

**That's the end of chapter 2. :L More waiting for chapter 3 MAIS NE VOUS INQUIETEZ PAS! It's coming very soon - je suis presque fini. Luckily, from here on in the story gets VERY AWESOME so hang on for me and keep reviewing. I don't mind criticism of any kind so go for it and I'll update v. soon.**


	3. Cold Sweat

**I've updated as quickly as possible - so here's chapter 3! Sorry updates may only happen once every week or so now because I don't have the headstart I had before... Ah well :P Anyway... so now the plot starts to thicken and it is revealed why Naruto and Sasuke are on such bad terms! And there's some action. Yay! I really like this chapter, but you know it really only gets better from here... so... I'll provide the updates and you provide the hits and reviews, kay? ^^**

3 - Cold Sweat

The soft pencil dented easily as Naruto chewed. Being uncomfortable made the blond chew. Now chemistry made him uncomfortable. Tsunade wrote some notes on the board about something called electrolysis, asking the class to copy them into their books. He wrote them down, but heck. What on earth were they even about?

"Ah," the boy next to him would keep muttering. Naruto chewed harder, and his brow furrowed. Those little noises of understanding always made him chew harder. "Mhm." He slammed the pencil onto the desk with a shaking hand and shot Sasuke a look of pure disgust. All he was met with was that stare. That same fucking stare. The one that's fucking impossible to read.

"Will you please shut up?" he hissed.

"Gomen." Sasuke's eyes didn't seem remorseful though. They seemed sympathetic. Naruto shuddered. _That pretentious bastard_. "Do you need help?"

"Fuck off," the fox replied flatly, before turning back to the board and copying down more lines.

"Ts," Sasuke glared darkly at Naruto. "You aren't even prepared to give me a second chance, ne Naruto?" The fox let out a laugh that sounded like a lie.

"You don't deserve it!" he suddenly bit out, halfway through laughing. "And… and even if you did," he continued, clenching a shivering fist, "you'd only make me regret it."

"Try me." Sasuke did his best, but the blond just bared his teeth and flipped him off under the table before turning back to his work. "The… the hydrogen ions are attracted to the cathode. They have opposite charges, so –"

"Shut your fucking face."

Suddenly, Tsunade's harsh voice rang out. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Naruto. Shut the fuck up – both of you."

"Ts." Sasuke had been muttering 'ts' a lot recently. Feeling frustrated made him hiss. Being around Naruto made him hiss a whole lot more. Wednesday was always really tough – it was the only day of the week where he had both periods that he shared with Naruto on top of Judo club – he had P.E. earlier and could barely look at the fox without being burned by his leer. At least he could look forward to Sakura's brownies.

After what felt like forever, the school bell finally rang and the captives were released. Getting away from Naruto as quickly as possible, Sasuke shouldered his bag and dashed for the door, shortly followed by Gaara, Sakura and Ino.

"Hey Sasuke!" Ino called, waving Sasuke back. She was, however, met only with deadly glares from the trio. She furrowed her brow and let her bottom lip drop. "Fine, whatever. Forget what I had to say – it's not important."

"Hn!" Sasuke roared, before storming down the corridor and bursting into the unoccupied classroom. "Damn it," he groaned, lifting himself onto the bench. Gaara looked at him with worried eyes before pulling himself up next to him.

"I heard that, back in homeroom. That was rough."

"Hn."

Sakura frowned at them, before turning to her bag and rummaging through it for her teddy bear tin. "Here," she said, holding out one to Sasuke. "Eat." The raven practically snatched it out of her hands and chomped it down in two seconds flat.

That was when a familiar laugh came from the back of the room. Deidara. "You'll get fat," he said with a nasty grin. He stood up from where he had been sitting with Tobi and started to approach them. Narrowed eyes rested on Sasuke.

"What do you want?" muttered Gaara. Even though Deidara was his cousin's boyfriend, Gaara could never warm to the blond. He was too devious. The devil's grin stretched across his face like an elastic band.

"That little fight you had with Naruto in homeroom. What the hell was that?" The raven tilted his head forward without dropping his gaze, casting a shadow across his brow down to his nose. "Oh, and I expect an answer before Naruto gets here."

"I don't know what it was. Maybe he's on his period," he replied with a sneer. Deidara snorted. "I don't have your answers, Hokuto. But if you want a fight, I'd be more than happy to oblige."

"Oh Sasuke," Deidara teased, "why are you so cold?" The grin turned to a smirk. "I heard what you did to Tobi, you sick fuck."

"And killing you would bring me great pleasure, too."

Now the blond just giggled. "But Sasuke, friends don't kill friends' cousin's boyfriends now do they?"

Gaara turned to Deidara, eyes brimming with utmost repugnance. "Sasuke – permission to kill Hokuto granted."

Deidara was about to whinge at Sasori's cousin not to be so harsh, but at that moment, the man of the hour opened the door and stepped into the classroom.

"Finally," Sakura groaned. "Now please leave, Hokuto-san. You're making my brownies taste sour."

"Don't blame me!" the blond scoffed, before turning to glare at Sasuke and Gaara and making his way back to Naruto's side of the room. The raven let out a long sigh, his brow still furrowed.

"More brownies, please," he pleaded. Gaara sighed and rested his head on his friend's shoulder.

"I wish Shikamaru were there to back us up just now. He can calm people down," he mumbled, playing with Sasuke's dark hair.

"Sakura. You should've given him a brownie." The cherry blossom raised an eyebrow.

"Not everyone's a glutton like you, Sasuke-kun," she said, making him growl. "The rest are for Shikamaru. No more for yo – Sasuke where are you going?"

The raven had pushed Gaara gently off his shoulder before slowly making his way over to Naruto's corner of the room, brushing past Sakura.

"Sasuke," she whispered as his ear passed her. "Don't." Still, the boy continued, unfaltering in his course to the front of the room. The first to look up and see Sasuke was Naruto. Like a spider down a plughole, the smile on his face disappeared. Blue eyes went grey and narrow. Deidara, who had been questioning the fox, looked around to see what he was glaring at – only to see the very subject of the interrogation.

"What the fuck?" he hissed.

"Ts," Sasuke hissed back. Black eyes flicked to Naruto. Even though the group could be as noisy as having a live concert in the room, all that could be heard now was a whimper from Hinata. There weren't many who wouldn't be intimidated by an Uchiha. "Naruto-kun. Listen to me. I just want-"

"Listen to you?" Naruto roared, his whisker marks quivering. "To what you want? That's a joke!"

The viper paused. This wasn't quite going as he planned. "I wanted to know if you needed help in chemistry." For a second, the fox just stared at him with blank eyes, his face still contorted with rage. But when they refocused on Sasuke's always-stern face, they burned brighter than ever.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you trying to embarrass me?" At this, the fox seemed to blush a lot, though he maintained his glare. Sasori sniggered.

"No – nothing like that. I've tutored people who've struggled with chemistry successfully before and…" his voice trailed away into silence as Naruto's face turned as red as ketchup. Shit, he thought to himself angrily, you're making it worse! "Never mind." He tried and failed to let a look of apology flicker through his eyes – it wasn't something that he practiced a lot. With a small gust of air he whipped around and slowly retreated to the back of the room, hands in pockets. Yes, he crashed and burned, but no one needed to know.

"Make way! Chemistry genius coming through!" Sasori cried, as Tobi pressed the invisible bugle to his lips, making obnoxious and noisy trumpeting sounds. "Make way! You there! Bastard coming through! Make way for the Uchiha!"

Sasuke tried not to listen. It wouldn't be good if he beat up people in the corridor, especially not Naruto's friends. Once was bad enough, even with an excuse. And since the sound of the bell, those morons began to ghost the raven – clearly taunting him for making the fox out to be an idiot earlier. So instead of turning around and sending a heavy fist into Sasori's chin, he held his dignity and strolled toward the gym as though he couldn't hear them. A younger student sniggered loudly as he saw the parade – but Sasuke sent him scarpering with a furious, twisted grin. His glares could barely be so terrifying.

Fortunately, Sasori and Tobi stopped making stupid chants and fanfares as they approached the boy's changing rooms – they probably would hurt Naruto's feelings if he heard. Once again, Sasuke changed into his judogi like his life depended on it and dashed out before most people had even taken off their shoes. Those bastards were laughing at him, and that always seemed to get on his nerves.

Today, the fresh air didn't feel refreshing and the grass didn't comfort his aching feet. He was so full of dread that it only felt even more chilling. "I… can't be a coward. It'll always be like this if I…" His body slumped against the tree behind him. It was of course cowardice that made it harder for the snake to face the fox. There was his pride to consider as well.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke's eyes flicked up to see Neji. The boy wasn't part of the club – he was still in normal clothes. He was, however, a good friend of Naruto's and also Deidara's. Baring his fangs, Sasuke tried to glare, but he couldn't hold it in the face of those white, pupiless eyes. "What do you want," he said, resorting to a rumbling growl.

"Don't worry. I don't agree with the other's attitudes toward you lately." Neji smiled softly. "Even though Naruto told me."

"What?" Sasuke blinked.

"I doubt you're proud of what you did, and Gaara speaks highly of you enough for me to think you've changed." The raven blinked again. Naruto told someone? "Don't be mad at Naruto for telling me. He knew I'd never tell anyone."

"So the others don't know?" Of course, he was already pretty sure they didn't.

"No. And he won't tell them." Sasuke straightened up a little.

"Are you sure?"

"Nothing's certain, Sasuke-kun. But I believe that although Naruto despises you for what you did, a part of him still clings to the friend he once had. I don't think he wants to hurt you." The white-eyed boy nodded, as if to confirm what he had just said. "Sorry if it's weird me just coming to you like this. But I was impressed that you still attempt to heal things – and the ways the others are behaving are barring you from progress. Let's just say I want to offer you a little encouragement." And it was at this piece of encouragement that the cold was expelled and replaced with warmth, and Sasuke felt it for Neji.

"Thanks, Neji," he said with a small, but very genuine smile.

"Anytime." With a gentle pat on Sasuke's shoulder, the strange boy turned to walk away across the mown field. The black-haired boy watched him leave and then sighed. Doubts being built up in his mind for a while now felt lighter now. Of course he was thankful.

During the start of training, when friends sparred randomly still waiting for Kakashi to arrive, Sasuke kept his distance from the others in his year and instead kneeled further away and meditated. However, when their Sensei finally did arrive, the python deliberately slunk in between Naruto and the mousy first year in the circle. At this action, the blond seemed to stiffen, but stared straight forward at his teacher and did his best to ignore the negative presence at his left side.

"Hey, Naruto," the raven muttered cautiously. "I didn't mean to embarrass you earlier." Naruto gritted his teeth and took a deep breath, making Sasuke's lips tighten. Every time he tried to talk to the blond, it felt as though his demeanour would completely switch around.

"Sure you didn't," he said, the words saturated in sarcasm. The raven sighed and decided to give it a rest till sparring. In his heart wanted to swear to Naruto that he'd changed – that he was different now. But he couldn't do that as long as he doubted it himself.

"Okay, guys? Did you see how I grabbed the uke and took him out of his centre of gravity using my knee and managed to flip him onto his back? That's what I want to practice today." Kakashi pulled Sasori, who he had act as uke, to his feet. "Seniors, you can go and practice that technique while the juniors can come with me and I'll teach you how to fall properly."

Tobi immediately partnered himself with Sasori as Kakashi left the elders to train the younger further down the field. Like usual, Sasuke waited for the slowest to find a partner to be forced to go with him – normally it was a race not to be stuck with the terrifying opponent. However, today was different. For a moment it looked as though Naruto was going to force Sasori to go with him instead, as he took a couple of quick steps towards them. But he hesitated, tilting his head back to the boy who was regarding him with dark eyes. And with those dark eyes, came a dark thought creeping in from the back of his mind. For the first time all day, the fox had an excuse to let out some steam against the bastard.

"Oi, teme," he jeered at the raven, beckoning him over.

"Ts," replied the snake, seeing the blond's cheeky grin. Nevertheless, he plodded over with folded arms and half lidded eyes. "Do you want to practice with me?"

"Oh yeah," Naruto hissed menacingly through his grin. "And I want you to be uke." Sasuke couldn't help but smirk slightly at the innuendo.

"Just like old times, ne Naruto? Except you were uke back then, weren't you?" That was the wrong thing to say. The fox's eyes narrowed and his whiskers twitched. "I'm sorry that didn't come out right," Sasuke said, quickly trying to backtrack. "I meant that whenever we fought I –"

"Shut up and come at me!" Naruto snapped, dropping his leg back and falling into his defensive stance. He tucked an elbow in and extended an arm ready to grab. But when Sasuke didn't come, Naruto went for him instead. Back behind him he heard Sasori cry out.

"Naruto! You're not supposed to do that!" he called. Though by now, it didn't look as though the spiky-haired, electric blue-eyed blond wasn't going to follow rules.

Sasuke dropped his own leg back and crouched as a speedy fist flew over his head, brushing the tips of his black hair.

"Ts," he hissed, slightly taken aback by the sudden attack. He flung out his arms towards the blond's shoulder while sweeping forward. Expecting Naruto to stumble backwards to escape his grasp, the raven was taken by surprise as he sidestepped away from the pale fingers. "Ah!" He cried, as one of Naruto's powerful fists hit his jawbone with a crack. The snake was sent coiling backwards, a hand clapped to his chin. "Usuratonkachi!" he roared, trying not to transform and bite the fox's throat out. "You aren't supposed to do that! We're doing throwing techniques!" His eye twitched as he felt the throbbing pain shooting up from his jaw to his ear, and warm, metallic fluid bubbled up in his mouth.

"Perhaps it was practice, but I want to kick your ass so bad, Sasuke! I can barely handle it!" Since punching the Uchiha in the face, Naruto's smile had only grown. He strode towards the raven and yanked him up to eye level. "Let me beat you up! You know you fucking deserve it!" But hadn't Sasuke been trying to be nice? It was so hard for him, but he was trying all the same. Sasuke let out a long hiss as he felt the rage building up in his chest, like a spring being twisted and twisted until it was full of explosive energy.

"You want to beat me up, Naru-chan?" he asked teasingly, hoping to fire the fox up even more.

"How dare you use that label, you bastard?" Naruto spat. "How dare you undermine me in front of my friends for the second time? And don't you dare talk to me about your 'old times' so happily when you so ungraciously stomped all over mine!" With that, he threw the snake forward just avoiding a pale fist to the gut. Immediately, Sasuke lowered himself and sprung forward in a dark blur, grabbing Naruto's waist and pushing him to the ground. The fox squirmed, but Sasuke had him incapacitated like he did on Friday with Tobi – he squeezed like a python. Feeling like his ribs were popping, Naruto let out a yelp before sinking his teeth into Sasuke's arm, drawing blood.

"Hey!" Sasuke went red and pulled his arm away, only to receive a strong elbow to his side. He cried out in pain with sparks filling his eyes, as the elbow was rapidly followed up by Naruto yanking him off the ground with a fistful of dark hair.

"Stop it, you guys! Don't take it too far!" one of the seniors yelled, though none of the crowd now surrounding the brawl attempted to separate them.

"Kick the shit out of that asshole!" came the voice of Tobi. He was clearly delighted to see Naruto finally avenging him.

Not having been in so much pain for a long time, Sasuke's mind began to cloud over. His vision was blazing white like his scalp was being set on fire, or pushed against red-hot sheet metal. As the hands finally released him, he made a leap for a random direction as he felt a large movement beside him.

"Stay still!" he heard Naruto bark. The snake blinked as a pair of pink feet came into focus. He lashed out at them with his leg. There was a gasp as Naruto stumbled forward, and he directed another furious punch toward Sasuke's face – but the swing was clumsy and wide, and he was leaving his stomach unguarded. Once again, Sasuke sprung forward, easily avoiding the reckless punch and landing his own square into Naruto's gut as the blond was breathing in. The raven hit him with such force that Naruto was sent tumbling forward over Sasuke's head, and he face planted in the grass.

"I'm sorry, Naruto," Sasuke said, smearing the blood from the corner of his mouth onto his wrist. He tried to look calmly down on his opponent – but the sight made the blood rush from his face. Naruto's whiskers were jagged from sneering, and the cerulean eyes were wide with rage. He took a stumbling step backwards as the fox shakily pulled himself to his feet.

"Don't fucking tell me you're sorry, Sasuke!" he roared, spit flying out of his mouth.

"Ts." The snake narrowed his black eyes. "But I am."

"No you're not!" Suddenly, a foot slammed into the raven's ear like a flying rock, making his neck crack and sending his head straight into the ground. Sasuke screamed in pain and his eyes flashed white again as he felt his head hit a solid patch in the ground. That all too familiar trickle of warmth behind his ear and throbbing pain on the other side of his head was immediately followed by intense nausea. His eyes widened and he clamped his hand to his mouth as he felt some of the contents of his stomach rising. Trying to keep his dignity by holding his hand in place, Sasuke hoisted himself up with his elbow. His body twisted as he held in a wretch.

"Stop!" he cried, somehow managing not to puke. Naruto was aiming another kick for the boy's ribs – and he hit with full force. Sasuke fell back into the grass, whimpering and clutching his side.

"I'll stop when you stop fucking laughing at me!" The fox raised his heel menacingly, as if he meant to slam it into the raven's face. Sasuke's arms flew up to protect his head.

"He's not laughing at you, you damn moron!" Naruto whipped around with wide eyes, just as Sasuke vomited.

"Kakashi-sensei?" he stuttered.

"You're going to fucking kill him, Naruto!" Kakashi roared. "Get out of the way." The fox stumbled as his teacher pushed him away roughly and bent down to the wretching Sasuke.

"Shit…" Sasori muttered, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Naruto gaped down at the concussed teen.

"I didn't mean to do that!"

The silvery-haired Judo teacher turned to Naruto. His eyes were burning with fury. "Naruto! Go and get dressed and go home. I'll be talking to you about this later." Whipping back to Sasuke, he began to gently slap the boy's bruised cheek. "Sasuke… can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can fucking hear you!" roared the raven, before his face turned green and he had to cover his mouth.

"Neji!" Kakashi shouted, snapping up his head as the Hyuga came jogging up to the crowd, concern somehow written into his blank eyes. "Do you have your phone? Sasuke needs an ambulance." He gestured to their pocket deficit gis.

"I don't need a goddamn ambulance," Sasuke groaned, before pulling himself to his feet. "I'll go to the doctor's down the road and get stitches." The ground seemed to warp a little around his feet, but he managed to dig his toes in and keep his balance. Kakashi frowned at the boy.

"You hit your head on a rock, Sasuke. You're probably concussed."

"I don't care." He felt Neji grab his shoulder when he turned to face Naruto. The snake hissed. It wasn't as if he was going to go for another swing. The fox was staring at him, his lips parted and his face pale.

"Fine," the sensei said, wiping the sweat of anxiety that had cropped up on his brow. "Neji – can you take Sasuke to the medical practice? I could go in my gi, but I'd rather not." The brunet nodded.

"I'm not doing anything." He patted the raven on the shoulder. "Come on, Sasuke-kun."

"Hn," the snake muttered in reply, still trying not to hurl. Neji turned to his friend.

"So you finally cracked, huh, Naruto?" he growled. "I didn't think you'd ever go so far as to crack him open too." The blond's lip trembled slightly, as though he had something to say, but instead, he just stared.

Neji sighed, before the two headed back to the gym to collect Sasuke's things. As they carefully stumbled their way to the clinic, the brunet persisted in the offer to call for an ambulance, but of course the dark-eyed boy refused and pushed on. By the time they made it to the practice, Sasuke looked pretty messed up with blood soaking the shoulder of his gi with flecks of sick and some nasty swelling in both cheeks. Not quite his handsome self.

"How did that happen? How did that turn into a fight?" Neji asked Sasuke, looking honestly surprised at the outcome. The raven touched the stiches on the side of his head as they made their way out of the doctor's.

"He started it," the Uchiha muttered bitterly. "Though," he ran his fingers up and down the bumpy nylon threads, "I didn't do much to stop it." Neji nodded.

"I really thought that he would keep himself together no matter what. I'm really sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said, forcing himself to smile at Neji. He needed to find some way to express his gratitude. Just as he was about to tell the brunet that he didn't have to wait with him, he saw the glimmer of Itachi's Corvette in the traffic.

"Sasuke! Are you okay?" Itachi called, as he swung the car into the no-parking zone outside the clinic.

"I'm fine," the snake replied, feeling irritation at the worried look on his brother's face. He turned to Neji and gave him a quick nod of thanks before walking over to the car and shakily climbing in next to Itachi. "I just want to wash this blood out of my hair."

"Hello?"

"Hi, Naruto. It's me, Kakashi." Naruto bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair. All evening he'd been fretting about this phone call. Though it was probably typical for the tardy teacher to leave it until Thursday morning.

"I… I'm really sorry, sensei. I don't know what I was thinking."

"It's okay. I'm not kicking you out of the club or anything," Kakashi said quickly. The fox let out a shuddering breath.

"And is Sasuke alright?"

"Yeah. But he has to stay at home for the rest of the week apparently. You shouldn't upset him – to be honest I can't believe that you weren't beat up yourself." Naruto gave a weak chuckle.

"I'm glad he's okay," he said, though his thoughts were going in a different direction to his words.

"Look, Naruto…" Kakashi sighed over the phone. "I still need to punish you for what you did. It was against the code that the club runs by – not to mention the fact that it was totally inappropriate on school grounds."

"Yeah, I know."

"So you'll be doing detentions with me during your weekend, okay? I'll be lecturing you about self control."

"Sounds like fun."

"It's not meant to be fun, Naruto. And I'll be really bitter and angry for having to be wasting my own free time too."

"Okay."

"See you at school, Naruto."

"Bye." He lowered his thumb to the hang up button and pushed it down, brows furrowed. Today he couldn't avoid it anymore. Tobi and Sasori saw what happened yesterday, and there could be no more pretending. He would have to tell them – them and Deidara – everything about him and Sasuke Uchiha.

Like a ton of rocks was weighing him down, Naruto dragged himself into first period English. A groan escaped his lips as his blue eyes fell on Deidara, Sasori and Tobi talking quickly, their heads very close together. Sasori saw him first.

"Naruto! Come here right now!" Lowering himself into his seat, he dropped his bag on the floor then shot them a dark look. They gazed back, saying nothing. But tight lips and intense stares all asked the same question.

"I've known Uchiha Sasuke since we were little, and I hate him," he said. "There."

Deidara gave an exasperated groan before turning to the teacher, who instructed them to spend the first ten minutes of the period talking in fluent English to one another.

"Perfect," the longhaired Deidara said with a grin, now speaking in English. Tobi started grinning as well.

"We know there's more – a lot more. Tell us everything and tell us now."

Naruto bit his lip. What if his past with Sasuke spread? The Uchiha was the school idol – not to mention the principal's son. His reputation could be damaged. A soft growl slipped out of his mouth and his whiskers twitched. Why did he even care what happened to Sasuke's reputation? It was only because of the bastard that he knew how much a crushed reputation could hurt.

"Fine," he muttered, diverting his gaze from his friends. "I'll tell you everything."

"Finally!" Sasori cried, still in English, before letting his chin sink into his hands. "Get ready to listen, folks." Deidara smirked.

"Okay, here goes," Naruto said with an uncharacteristically loud sigh. "When I was in kindergarten I first met Sasuke. He was the first person I ever knew who could shape-shift. Way into elementary school, we were best friends, and we went on lots of adventures together using our powers. I was his only friend, and he was my closest, though I had lots of other friends who were important to me too. But… anyway, we were really close until we were about nine."

"What happened?" Tobi asked, leaning in on his elbows a little.

"He stole something from me. It was a pendant that I got from my cousin. It was a precious family heirloom, or something. I didn't really care about that though, because the cousin I got it from was really special to me. I spent a lot of time with him, even though he was a little older than me. I was presented with the pendant after he died of pneumonia."

"Shit…" the dark-haired one muttered. Naruto nodded sadly.

"Obviously, I wore it all the time because I was really sad he'd died. But then Sasuke fucking Uchiha had to steal it! And it wasn't as if it was something stupid like a favourite toy or anything – it was the sort of thing that really meant a lot to me. After he stole it he started wearing it everywhere. I used to get really upset and demand it back, and start crying."

"Aw," Deidara crooned, stroking his friend's hair.

"I tried to steal it back a couple of times, but heck the snake is way more sneaky than a noisy fox like me. After a while, people started getting annoyed or would laugh at me for going after it so long – because none of those little kids could really understand what a little blue necklace would mean to me. Then that bastard jumped on this, and started telling everyone that I was pathetic behind my back. He said I was a baby for crying all the time, and he told everyone that the pendant was his all along and that I was being jealous. And those idiots believed him."

Deidara blinked. "Are you serious? I thought Sasuke didn't have any friends." Naruto shrugged.

"Yeah but he was still just as idolised back then. People always listened to him. Anyway, so people started teasing me at first, but with Sasuke firing them up and me getting more and more frustrated, it was just everyone bullying me, and most people couldn't even remember why. Hating me was kind of like a sport."

"You were bullied?" Sasori's eyes widened.

"But you're so… cool," his boyfriend said, his mouth slightly open.

"Are you guys serious? I was the most bullied kid in school by the following year. Uchiha fucking encouraged it, too, and wore that necklace all the time just to rub it in. My best friend pretty much ruined my life until I was able to get out of that group of people and go to high school."

"Where you met us," Tobi said, draping his arm around Deidara's shoulder.

"My life totally got better from there," Naruto said, a smile spreading across his solemn face.

"Hold on," Deidara muttered, pushing away Tobi's embrace. "I haven't seen Uchiha wearing a pendant before, and he hasn't given you any grief lately."

"That's because he gave it back. He apologized when we were eleven. Or maybe I was ten and he was eleven…" The fox narrowed his eyes, trying to remember. "Anyway, he gave me back the pendant and told me he was sorry for everything and that he just wanted to be friends. I told him he was a lying bastard who didn't deserve forgiveness and I punched him right in that smug face of his."

"Wait. He was smug while he was begging?" Deidara raised an eyebrow.

"He's always smug, Deidara," Naruto replied, his chin sinking to the table. "We never spoke since I punched him – at least until last week. And I chucked the pendant in a lake because it was like an awful symbol of the way I was treated – like shit. It was actually always a little weird between Sasuke and me, though. Like, he's always been there but we've never made contact. I had to go to Uchiha academy because my father wanted me to go to a private school – and that either meant going to a school where all the kids would hate me, or going to a school with a fresh start. I had also heard Sasuke would be going to a different school than his brother, but for some reason he ended up coming here in the end, too. I don't remember the bastard not being part of my life."

"Wow," Sasori murmured, his chin in his palm. "You must really hate him."

"Yeah." The fox sighed loudly once again. "But I probably wouldn't like it if he wasn't there. In a way, I kind of enjoy hating him, no matter what he did."

For the rest of the morning, Deidara, Sasori and Tobi decided that it was probably best to keep Naruto's story a secret. By afternoon, none of them could bear it.

"He didn't say we weren't supposed to tell," Tobi muttered, rolling an apple from one hand to the other. "Everyone knows about the fight by now, so it's not like it's a big deal." This was all the prompting the other two needed. Before the end of school, all their friends knew about Naruto and his past with Sasuke, and all their friends knew too.

"I mean," Deidara said, plodding down the street towards in the direction of the bus stop with Sasori, "Naruto's probably glad that people finally understand what a jerk Uchiha is. I don't really see what's wrong in us telling." The redhead nodded.

"Absolutely. We did the right thing."

A black eyebrow twitched. Firm, dark eyes leered down at the mouse in the middle of his bedroom. Strong purple marks stained his chin and snowy cheeks, and soft lips were stretched into an intimidating sneer.

"Sakura. You were turned away because I don't want any guests," Sasuke drawled, still glaring at the mouse. The tiny animal seemed to roll its eyes as it turned to the door. It let out a sharp squeak. His eyes shot up as the door growled and he saw something black and fluffy through the crack. A gasp escaped his lips and he glared at the door. "Shikamaru! Gaara! Are you here too? Get out of my house."

A patter and another growl told him that they weren't about to leave. The raven sighed, before pulling himself out of bed and dragging himself over to the door.

"You're lucky I don't stomp on you," he said, baring his teeth in the direction of the white mouse, which was now retaking the form of Haruno Sakura. Pushing hard down on the handle and throwing the door open, he let out a loud hiss to show his irritation – but stretching his face made it throb. He groaned and massaged his aching head with his fingers as the black Labrador pattered into the room with a large brown lizard clinging onto the fur on its back. Upon seeing the sight of his friend, the dog let out a whimper, and the lizard shuffled uncomfortably.

"Sasuke, you moron." The cherry blossom sank onto his bed, her green eyes filled with concern. Sasuke twitched a little, as a sore part in his cheek had a spasm. "Look at you."

"I'm fine," he growled, as Shikamaru and Gaara regained human form. "Naruto started it." His redheaded friend approached him, his lips pulled into a hard line.

"You need to listen to us, now Sasuke. We have bad news for you." The snake folded his arms before making his way to sit next to Sakura.

"You aren't supposed to be here. Don't you think that I might prefer to be alone right now? Naruto beat me up!" He glared at his friends as hard as he could without hurting himself. "This throws me back further than ever with him. And now my dignity has been hurt too – that dobe actually managed to defeat me. So when I next say I want to be alone, you'll listen, okay?" Shikamaru stared at his bruised and tired looking friend with hard, narrow eyes.

"There's been a rumour about you and Naruto since that fight, Sasuke." Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Next to him, he heard Sakura sighing. Gaara took a step closer to Sasuke, putting both hands on his best friend's shoulders.

"Is it true, Sasuke?" The raven felt his hands tremble slightly. Gaara had a look in his eyes that he rarely saw.

"Is what true?" he asked, his voice somewhat weaker than before. That look in Gaara's eyes – it was as though the sandman was afraid of the answer. The redhead bit his lip, but it was Sakura who spoke.

"We heard that you and Naruto were friends until you stole something from him," she said quietly. Sasuke swallowed, trying not to look into Gaara's eyes. "After you stole it, they say that you used it to bully him." The girl sighed again as she saw his eyes waver. "Stop me if it doesn't sound familiar. There's more, but you could stop me now." Gaara's eyes widened as he gently shook the boy's shoulders for an answer. Shikamaru seemed to already know it, his face twisted with something that looked almost like pain. When Sasuke remained silent, he huffed and walked over to the window, pushing his face into his hands.

"Well, Sasuke?" Gaara pressed. "It's a lie, right?" He looked deeply into the raven's dark eyes that stared down at the bed, trying to somehow detect an answer in the boy's body language.

"Of course it's not a lie, Gaara," Sasuke muttered. His eyes were fixed to his chest. It probably would have caught him in the chest to see the flash of disappointment in his friend's blue eyes at that moment. The strong hands finally slipped off the raven's shoulders.

"You…" Gaara whispered. "You never told us." Shikamaru snorted.

"We already knew he was a bastard. But this, Sasuke? Really?" The brunet turned to Sasuke with burning eyes. "I can't believe I thought Naruto was a jerk for ignoring you. But now you're the one who seems like a jerk."

"Shikamaru. You know Sasuke. He made that mistake a very long time ago," Sakura said, patting Sasuke's back. Said boy pushed his hands past his eyes and through his bangs, making a sharp intake of breath that was almost like a sob.

"It doesn't matter when I made it," he muttered. "I knew better. I knew damn well it was wrong. I was jealous. I was so fucking jealous of that necklace."

"Exactly," the girl crooned, rubbing his back gently. Shikamaru held his glare. "You wouldn't do something like that again."

"Look," the brunet snapped, storming up to the stricken Gaara's side. "You've changed. I get that. But I'm pissed that you didn't tell us, and let's face it – Gaara and I both are upset that we've just found out what you were." Suddenly, Sasuke let out an exasperated groan and threw his hands back down onto the bed, causing his friends to jump back at the loud 'whump' sound.

"Gaara. Shikamaru," he said sharply, finally giving them eye contact. "Don't pretend I've changed. I've withdrawn. To be honest, I have no idea if I'd be capable of doing that to someone again. No idea at all. So, sorry Sakura. I'm not making any promises that I know I may not be able to keep. So if you don't still want to be friends, I understand. But I'd still really appreciate a chance." At this, Gaara immediately grinned.

"Sasuke, you've never let me down as a friend. I'd be nuts to turn my back on you for something like this."

"Me too, Sasuke," Sakura agreed. "I haven't known you for very long. And that's exactly why I'm not going to judge you on something that happened between you and Naruto years ago. Everyone takes a risk in making a friendship." Satisfied with their responses, and a little warmed that they didn't turn away from him, Sasuke looked up expectantly at Shikamaru. The brunet wasn't smiling. His eyes seemed sad and the corners of his mouth were down turned.

"Sasuke… just…" he sighed, finally letting a smile settle upon him. "Let's just say I'm still a little shocked. Give me a week to put this into perspective, okay?" Sasuke blinked.

"Well your reactions weren't as bad as I was expecting." Blue eyes glinting, Gaara pulled a smirk. Suddenly, there was a low chuckle, and four sets of eyes flew to the doorway. Sakura immediately blushed.

"Itachi? Hi," she said, with a small wave. The young man with long dark hair raised an eyebrow, before turning to his brother.

"Sasuke – I'm just going out for a ride in the Corvette. Do you need me to grab you some aspirin?" he asked, his pitch barely changing. Sasuke was about to reply that he had loads, but Sakura jumped off the bed and landed in front of him. Her eyes were glowing bright.

"Nani?" she cried. Itachi looked taken aback by her interruption, as he arched his head back slightly. "Did you just say 'Corvette'?"

"Uh…" he scratched his head, staring at the girl with his brow furrowed. "Yeah. Sorry, why do you care?" At this, Sakura through him a glare and slammed her fists to her sides.

"Why do I care? Are you serious?" she almost screamed, her arms shaking. "Corvettes are so cool!" Blinking wearily, Itachi shook his head at the very excited young lady. From behind her, he heard his brother let out a small cough.

"No thanks, nii-san. I've got loads of aspirin right here. Could you grab me some magnesium supplements?" Itachi glared at his brother.

"Stop drinking and eat some vegetables, you idiot," he growled. "Sakura. Do you want to meet Lilou?" There was a large thud, as the girl suddenly leapt from her side of the room to crash excitedly in front of her friend's brother.

"You mean I can go with you in your car? Is Lilou your car?" squeaked the mouse. Not expecting to be barraged, Itachi grimaced at her, taking a shy step back.

"She's not usually like this," Gaara said, trying to reassure the worried man. The older raven's eyes flicked from the lizard, to his brother and then back to Sakura. Suddenly, to everyone's amazement, Itachi split into a beaming smile at the girl.

"Okay, Sakura. I'll take you for a ride. I guess there have to be benefits to befriending rich kids," he said, grabbing her arm and guiding the girl out of the room as she burst into metaphorical flames.

"I… I promise not to get saliva on the upholstery," they heard her joke as she disappeared down the stairs. Soon enough, a painful smile spread across Sasuke's aching face as he let out a laugh.

"Shikamaru," he said, half wincing, half grinning. "You were so right to bring her into the group."

"Yeah," Gaara agreed dryly. "I think you're a pretty good judge of character, Shika."

The brunet sighed, walking over to the window and clambering carefully over the pane and out onto a tree branch. "I thought so, too," he drawled, immediately whacking the grin off Sasuke's face. The raven leapt up off the bed and dashed to the windowsill as Shikamaru jumped out of the tree and onto the grass below.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" he roared at the brunet who was now trying to scale the short garden wall.

"I mean…" Shikamaru called back, once he'd gotten over the fence. "I mean I'll see you later, Sasuke."

**Shikaaaa... nooo... What will happenn? Lol sorry. Okay well if you liked the fight scene there's more next chapter yippee! If you didn't like the fight scene the next one will be better yippee! You'll be hearing from me again real soon, okay? TTFN xxx**


	4. Numbness

**Hey fellas i gotta go somewhere for a bit so I won't do any typing for a wee while. That's why I squeezed this out and we're about to go so I only just made it there (though didn't edit last few paragraphs sorry). Anyway YOU GONNA LOVE DIS**

4 – Numbness

Sasuke slammed his face into his pillow, grunting as pain shot through his tender and swollen cheeks. Gaara had gone home, leaving him alone as he had requested – however the whole point of being alone was to avoid the entire confrontation. It didn't even matter whether he was alone or not anymore. It didn't make him feel any better about Shikamaru's bitter reaction. Everything about it made the raven grind his teeth harder. Despite the fact that he'd done pretty much nothing to earn Sakura's trust, even she didn't turn tail and run – unlike Shikamaru, who was one of his best friends and who had known him for years. Had he not been a good friend? Well, he hadn't been anything amazing. But he hadn't been a bad one, right? And Naruto – that bastard – had to open his fucking mouth and tell people about something he had done years ago. Yes, it was bad. Sasuke even admitted to himself that if the fox ever did spread that rumour and it damaged his reputation, he'd probably deserve it. But it still made him clench his fists in anger at the ease at which the idiot could have him clinging to the side of the cliff that was his ever crumbling reputation – not only with the school in general, but with his friends as well. Sasuke couldn't help it – but his disgust of being out of control was beginning to overpower everything else inside him.

"I…" he hissed, clamping the pillow around his face with his strong arms, "I'll kill that asshole. I wasn't undermining him. He's fucking undermining me!" The snake's venom seemed to drip dangerously from its fangs, as he narrowed his eyes. They would fight again, soon enough. The difference would be that Sasuke would win this time, and he would force Naruto to see the better side of his old friend. And more of course – come next week any feelings of disrespect towards the Uchiha would be crushed.

The eternally rude Monday morning hit the knackered Uchiha Academy students like soggy flannel to the face. Half-asleep teenagers still recovering from a weekend of late nights somehow managed to drag themselves to their seats and pull their heavy chemistry notes out onto the desks. Even though they were very tired, an effortless, energetic buzz ran through them all as Sasuke quietly entered homeroom behind Gaara and Sakura. The raven was still pale, though the swelling on his cheeks and chin had gone down and the bruises had diminished so they were hardly noticeable. But Sasuke still had nylon stitches in the side of his head and he flinched when Gaara gently nudged him in his side where he'd been kicked. With a heart like a nuclear bomb, the snake squeezed to the back of the room to sit with the fox. All the juicy titbits being tossed up and down the room by bitchy classmates on top of Deidara's corrections to the same story that was being spread faster and faster weren't subtle and bounced dangerously off the ticking time bomb that was Sasuke Uchiha. Next to him, the blond swallowed and began to chew the end of his pencil, his eyes flicking over to Sasuke. To his terror, the snake's face was totally blank – he was using everything he had at his disposal to mask whatever was going on in his head. Naruto gulped once again, though his was dry.

"Sasuke-kun," he said shyly, as though he was afraid that he'd be the one to detonate the volatile cocktail.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, meeting blue eyes with his own cold, empty ones.

"I'm really sorry for all this… I-" he began, but was stopped as Daisuke Yoshihara's voice suddenly rang out.

"You're a real bastard, ne Sasuke? Most of us suspected it, but now we know for sure." The usually insignificant boy was leaning back in his chair across the room from Sasuke and Naruto, a foolish grin painted on his face.

"Ts," Sasuke hissed back, as Ino punched her neighbour in the arm. He was glad to hear that among the sounds of agreement towards Daisuke's comment, there were also a few noises of reproach – and they weren't all just from Sakura or from Gaara.

"Are you okay?" Naruto tapped Sasuke's shoulder gently.

"Hn," he replied, as Tsunade entered the room. She proceeded to tell the class to shut the hell up and watch what happens when three unknown colourless solutions are reacted. "Fight me again, Naruto," he muttered, leaning into Naruto a little.

"Nani, Sasuke?" Naruto whispered back, eyes widening. "You have got to be kidding me. Kakashi had me do weekend detentions because of the fight on Friday." Sasuke smirked a little, enjoying feeling the fox's spicy breath on his shoulder.

"It will be different. It will be after school – and no one has to know about it. Best of all, the rules will be very limited." At this, Sasuke caught the blond's eye just as his own flashed red and his pupils narrowed to slits for a split second before reverting to inky black. Naruto bit his lip.

"You're asking me to trust you," he finally said. Sasuke looked up at Tsunade, a flicker of irritation causing his lips to curl. The colourless solutions turned orange like the hoodie Naruto was wearing as they were poured into a beaker. For about ten seconds, the solution remained that way and the boys remained silent, until suddenly the entire solution spontaneously turned to a blue-black colour.

"Hn. Do you have a problem with that?" he asked, turning back to look at the fox who was staring at the beaker with wide, curious eyes. He never looks at me with eyes as cute as that, Sasuke thought to himself bitterly. Naruto just glared at him usually. That was exactly what he was met with when the fox's eyes returned to him.

"I don't have a problem with you asking, Sasuke-kun. But get real. I have no reason to trust you. You'll probably just cross me and I'll be faced with fighting your friends, just so you can get revenge for me telling people your secret." Sasuke's eyes widened with anger.

"So you _did_ tell them?" he snarled.

"Yes, and I'm sorry. I didn't think they'd tell anyone." Sighing, he pushed a tanned hand through his spiky blond hair. "I just want to be left alone."

"Well that's not going to happen," Sasuke scoffed, turning away. Naruto grimaced at this, but lacked the energy to argue.

"The answer's no," he said simply, before turning back to his own notes to write down the reaction he'd just seen taking place.

The clouds in the Tokyo sky had been accumulating all morning, and with a rumble of thunder and a spray of rain, it was decided that perhaps indoor soccer would have to make do, as the field was slushy and slippery. To this news flash, many of MG's P.E. class let out an exasperated sigh. Most of the class were guys, and they liked the idea of a muddy, bloody soccer match. Sasuke however, wasn't as keen as the others were on getting caked with filth and was quietly content with the change of weather. Honestly, there was nothing the raven wanted more than to be clean – well he wanted a clean slate anyway. Not that it was the same thing, really.

"Naruto," he called, as the fox finally emerged from the changing rooms in his blue and gold P.E. gear.

"Teme," Naruto called back, flipping the raven off with a sneer. Sasuke rolled his eyes and jogged up to him.

"Please, Naruto. Give me a rematch. I won't cross you – there'd be no one to back me up anyway." The blond pouted and folded his arms. "Seriously – it'll just be to let out steam."

"Fine, fine!" Naruto snorted, a slight smile on his lips. "You just knew I couldn't resist, didn't you?" Sasuke frowned and nodded, not sure whether he liked the idea he was confirming. "So I'll meet you in the old gym tonight?"

"Hn," Sasuke replied. "Around ten o'clock. That way we can be sure no one will be around."

"Yeah sounds good. Sounds great, even." Naruto's smile turned wicked. Sasuke didn't know it, but he had spent some extra time in his holidays training with Kakashi. Normally the blond would've lost to Sasuke, but a bubble of confidence had found its way to him, and the offer of the chance to try some of his new moves on the world's best punching bag was hard to turn down. "What about a referee?"

"The cousins. That would be fair."

"Yeah, okay."

"And…" The raven hesitated, wondering whether continuing would be like standing on a landmine or not. "And there's more." The blue-eyed boy growled, his whisker marks turning jagged.

"What is it?"

"If you lose, you have to give me a second chance," Sasuke said, trying hard not to glare out of embarrassment. Instead, his mouth dropped open slightly, as he was genuinely surprised he hadn't chickened out before saying what he wanted. Naruto looked just as shocked.

"What?" he finally said, folded arms flopping to his sides. Despite trying desperately to control it, Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up.

"You know what I mean, Naruto! I mean I want to have another shot at being friends. Don't make me repeat that," hissed the snake. When Naruto's gape quickly began to turn into a twisted snarl, he quickly continued. "If I lose then I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life."

"Are you kidding me? That's ridiculous! I don't know what you're playing at Sasuke, but those terms suck." The raven groaned and rolled his eyes at the fox.

"Well then do you have better ones, dobe? It's not like I find sick satisfaction in upsetting you. It wasn't about that," he drawled.

"I really doesn't matter what it was about, teme – what matters was that you put it before our friendship. You think I want to go back to being friends with someone like that?" the fox asked him, baring his teeth. "But that doesn't matter. I don't really think you'll win, so I'll give you some new terms – ones you can't possibly accept if you know how much stronger I've become." Sasuke leaned his head back to show he was listening. "If you win somehow, I'll give you a second chance, teme. But when you inevitably lose, you have to leave Uchiha Academy and go to a different school."

"Nani?" Sasuke cried, his black eyes expanding. "That's stupid, you dobe."

"Well those are the terms," the fox snapped back.

"Fine! Fine, I accept your fucking ridiculous terms," the raven said, throwing his arms up in exasperation. Naruto blinked.

"You do?" Not prepared to have his enthusiasm to fight despite what he was gambling questioned, Sasuke simply sighed and turned to help MG set up the goal on the western end of the room.

"See you tonight, dobe," he said with a small wave. In his mind, if he took those words out of context, it sent shivers down his spine.

As the game began, Sasuke was first to kick off. He booted the ball past Abumi Zaku, giving Rock Lee a chance to reach it and dribble it further down the court. Sasuke ran to back him up, but when the thick-browed boy kicked the ball back the raven's way, Zaku was there to intercept the ball.

"Great intercept, Zaku!" MG called from the sidelines. As Zaku began to dribble it back down the field, Rock and Sasuke made a dash for him. "See if you can get it back, Rock! Come on; use the whole team, guys. Don't make Rock and Sasuke do all the work." Hearing this, Amaya Jun made a sweep for the ball, but Zaku sent it Naruto's way with a swift kick. Then as Sasuke went to tackle the ball off the fox, the boy with sly eyes and tall spiked hair blocked him. Zaku smirked.

"Don't you think should leave poor Naruto alone?" he jeered, as Sasuke sidestepped around him and made his way back into the game. It was too late, though. Naruto sent the ball flying into the goal with a powerful kick. Tenten, who was goalie, had dived to stop it, but it only brushed the tips of her fingers. As the opposing team celebrated, Sasuke stood there panting and glaring at Zaku. All these attitudes toward him recently weren't something he was accustomed to. But it looked like it was going to be something he'd have to fix or get used to very soon.

By the time break arrived Sasuke was ready to get out of P.E. class. Zaku was seriously beginning to get on his nerves. He barely got any time with the ball because that asshole put most of his energy specifically into getting in the raven's way. In a way he figured he probably deserved a little bullying. But mostly he thought that though he usually agreed with the term 'an eye for an eye' he didn't agree if it meant trouble for him. There was nothing wrong with a little self-interest, as far as he was concerned.

"Hey, Sasuke. You're looking better," Shikamaru muttered dryly, as Sasuke sat down next to him on the book cabinet.

"Hn," he replied. He couldn't help but resent the lack of enthusiasm in Shikamaru's greeting. "You still came, un."

"Yeah," the brunet said, scratching his head. "Look I know I'm being cranky about this whole thing." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "But I have my reasons. It's not that I'm so annoyed that I don't want to be friends, and I still support you and everything. I'm just pissed you had to keep that secret as though you didn't trust us, is all." To his surprise, the dark eyed boy nodded to this.

"You really don't have to explain yourself, Shika. I should've told you guys, but each time I tried to I chickened out," Sasuke admitted, trying not to break eye contact with Shikamaru. Upon these words he caught a spark in the wily boy's eyes and a smile split across his normally bored looking face.

"I'm glad you can admit that you're a chicken-shit, Sasuke." The raven rolled his eyes; just Sakura bounced up to them.

"Ts. Hey Sakura. How was the ride on Friday night?" he asked, letting her hug him. He blinked as her arms suddenly slackened around his neck. "Sakura?" With a loud sigh, she pulled away from him.

"Oh shit, Sakura," Shikamaru said, gently punching the blushing girl's arm. "Don't tell me you hit it off with Itachi," he sighed, throwing a quick glance in Sasuke's direction.

"Shut your canine face, Shika," she retorted, but her blush deepened at his comment all the same. "Yeah, that Corvette was _grease lightning_!"

"Wait… what did you do with my brother?" asked the snake with interrogative eyes.

"Oh, great…" Gaara muttered, aware of his friend's obsessive pride over his brother. The cherry blossom shook her head and buried her face in her hands out of embarrassment.

"I promise I didn't do anything," she muttered. Sasuke glared at Shikamaru.

"See? Don't scare me like that." The brunet shrugged.

"Well, Itachi kissed me. But I didn't persuade him – he did it by himself." Wide, black orbs shot to her face. "Though I didn't stop him, so I guess I am a little to blame." A cheeky smile stretched across her face.

"Are you serious?" hissed Sasuke, his wide eyes suddenly narrowing. "He kissed you?" Sakura bit her lip as some of her hair fell over her eyes. The raven reached forward and grabbed her collar, pulling her in. "Well, Sakura?" he hissed.

"Fuck off, Sasuke," she said with a sigh, trying to pull away his wrist. He held tighter, his eyes burning. "Yeah, it's true. And you know what? You should be happy for me."

"Ts. Like hell."

"Sasuke, you're being an asshole," Gaara huffed. "Itachi can kiss whoever he wants."

"But… but…" he stuttered, glancing between the redhead and Sakura. "But…"

"But, but, but…" Sakura mocked, "but if you don't let go I'm gonna kiss you with my girly mouth and scar you for life. Oh and then you'll get Itachi germs which'll scar you even more." Sasuke's hand shot back to his side and he coiled away from the girl's now puckered lips.

"Okay, okay I get it!" he cried, shielding his head. "Shikamaru – help!" The grinning brunet stood up and blocked Sakura from reaching the cowering raven.

"That's enough – you're scaring the poor homo." Taking her hand, he guided her to sit with him and Gaara. "See, he's wired to be automatically disgusted by any form of natural human courtship."

"Hey! Just because I don't want to kiss a girl doesn't mean I –"

"Yeah but Sasuke," Gaara interrupted, "you also want your brother to date a guy – which isn't going to happen because he's straight." At this, the snake's bottom lip stuck out.

"But girls are gross…" he whined.

"It's not as if you're the one that I snogged, you heterophobe," Sakura snorted. Grimacing, the raven rotated his hands in circles.

"Inducing disturbing images, Sakura."

"Hey, Sasuke!" she cried out suddenly.

"What?" he blinked, somewhat taken aback by the outburst.

"I don't care," the girl finished dryly. The snake grinned dangerously at her through clenched teeth. Initially, he didn't like the idea of her 'hooking up' with his older brother – but then at the same time, he sort of liked the idea of the two of them 'falling in love'. Just because he had with Naruto, he wanted it to be same for people he cared for as well. Not really understanding was no excuse to get involved, so he figured he should just leave this one to the two of them and butt out.

That afternoon, Sasuke decided not ask his brother about Sakura, as curious as he was. Itachi would have to confront him himself. Surely he'd have to – his loner of a brother had never really been with anyone before. Both Uchihas had taken a similar stance during their school careers towards relationships, but for different reasons. The elder insisted that he wanted to wait until he met someone right for him, and that none of the maggots at Uchiha Academy appealed to him. It's possible that Sasuke would've taken a similar stance, but obviously the main reason for him remaining single was that he only wanted Naruto. He wasn't prepared to settle for anyone else.

It was only five minutes until ten o'clock. The brown lizard, which was about the size of a weasel, scuttled furiously behind the inky black snake, trying hard to keep up with it. There was only so much Gaara's stumpy legs could pull off. He rasped at Sasuke – lizards lack the vocal chords to yell at him to slow down. Unfortunately, he forgot that snakes also lack the ears to hear the lizard's desperate attempts to slow him down, so it raced across the field in the direction of the old gym without breaking sweat, as it also lacked sweat glands. Who needs them if you're already cold blooded? As the old gym with its flaking red paint and faded lettering neared, Sasuke slowed down and tasted the air with a blue forked tongue – as he had suspected, they were completely on their own. Well there were some crickets and worms, but he wasn't particularly interested. What he was interested in though, was the familiar flavour that he detected lingering near the brick sized hole that was their access to the gym. It was spicy and prickly, like a pepper or a cactus. In with the flavour of the fox, it could also taste something dry and fleshy. It was similar to the taste of Gaara, who he could now feel approaching somewhere behind him, but it was with the fox, so it was probably Sasori. Without waiting for the lizard to catch him up, he darted through gap and onto the slippery floor. _Ah shit…_ His smooth, velvety scales couldn't build up enough friction to move forward easily. Wriggling, he wormed his way very slowly across the smooth floorboards. About halfway across the tired, rundown court he suddenly stopped and let his mouth drop open a little. _Oh. Right._ In seconds, his body retook its true form. As his hearing returned to him, his eyesight changed and he was plunged into darkness. Behind him he hear scampering as the lizard finally reached him before transforming back into the blue-eyed Gaara.

"Naruto!" he roared into the black. "I know you're here. Let me take you on." Even though there was little light except for some moonlight from the high windows, the raven still managed to make out the outline of two boys in the spectator seating. "I can see you. So come down and fight me."

"Oi, Naruto. Wake up," came the soft voice of Sasori. The snake's eyes narrowed as he heard the fox groan and yawn.

"Huh?" it said.

"They're here. Do you want me to look for some lights?"

"Yeah… Go for it." The boys on the court below winced as a torch bleared in their faces.

"Gaara! How are you doing?" Sasori asked, directing the light away from their eyes. "We haven't spoken for a while."

"No, we haven't," the lizard drawled. "Why are you just sitting in the dark? Where are the lights?"

"Hold on – I'll just get them now." The taller redhead up in the stands pointed the torch to a switch box on the wall and jogged over to switch the lights on. With a flicker, white light poured into the musty space from long ceiling lights high above their heads. "Yeah, sorry. Naruto was sleepy."

"Well wake up!" Sasuke snapped at the bleary eyed Naruto. "Now's not the time to sleep – now's the time to fight. Are you even taking this seriously?"

"I don't need to," the fox replied, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm going to beat you. It'll be easy." Gaara glanced over at his potentially insane friend with tired eyes before giving a loud sigh.

"I'll be up in the stands with Sasori. Just scream if you need me to stop the fight," he said flatly. Receiving little more than a nod of the head from Sasuke, he turned to make his way to the stairs to sit up with his cousin. Naruto looked down on Sasuke from the stands with narrow eyes as Sasuke gazed back. Once again, the fox found himself subconsciously pouting and he quickly sucked his lip back in. Now they seemed to form themselves into a sneer, making the curve of his whisker marks more distinct. Gaara's feet echoed loudly on the wooden floor as he reached the top of the stairs. The only things louder were Naruto's breaths – which were beginning to turn to soft growls – and the pounding of blood through Sasuke's ears. They resonated through the room like they were somehow attached to loud speakers. Sasori was the first to break the deafening silence.

"Let's sort out some rules," he said, flicking some red hair out of his eyes.

"Hn," Sasuke said with a nod.

"Okay. Firstly, you are free to transform as you please – but Sasuke may not use his venom to incapacitate Naruto because it's too dangerous." The snake smirked up at the fox.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said softly.

"I'm serious, Sasuke," Sasori persisted with a furrowed brow, "because the next rule is that you aren't allowed to kill each other. The third rule is a little confusing, so listen up. Imagine that I'm biased toward Naruto, and Gaara is biased toward Sasuke. So if, for example, I think that Naruto has taken too many hits then I can end the match and Sasuke will win. The same goes the other way with Sasuke and Gaara. But I couldn't end the match for Sasuke's sake, so Naruto can't win because I'm biased toward him."

"Sounds fair to me. Gaara!" The shorter redhead turned to Sasuke and nodded to show he was listening. "No matter what, don't throw the match. You got that?" Immediately, Naruto sniggered.

"So desperate to stay at your beloved father's school, ne Sasuke?" he said, receiving a repulsive sneer.

"My 'beloved' father? Whatever." Sasori coughed to retrieve the attention he had momentarily lost.

"And the last rule is this: although we can't add new rules, if you don't listen to the referee you will be disqualified. So if we tell you to stop then you have to stop. Naruto can't continue to beat Sasuke to a pulp when its over or he'll lose. So pay attention. Other than that though, you're free to beat the shit out of each other as you please," he finished. That familiar, wicked smile returned to Naruto's lips as he stared hungrily down at his prey.

"If that's all, Sasori, can we get started?" he asked, eyeballing the raven waiting below in the centre of court. A twinge of annoyance in his temple made him wince. The look on Sasuke's face was almost bored, as if this fight would be little more than troublesome. If he did things right and remembered what Kakashi showed him, then hopefully that expression would soon change. The taller cousin inclined his head toward the shorter. "Gaara?"

"Okay. Get ready to fight!" Naruto jumped up onto the railing three metres above the gym floor and crouched there. Sasuke simply dropped his leg back like he always did and raised his guard to protect chin and stomach. The line between the opponents' eyes could've sliced someone in half. "Go!"

Naruto roared and immediately pushed off the railing head first, spinning toward the Uchiha at great speeds. As he sliced through the air in a corkscrew motion, he extended his arms to tackle Sasuke to the ground. However as he almost made contact with the raven's stoic face, he was greeted with a reversal – an uppercut with power that only Sasuke could muster. The momentum of the attack was completely lost as Naruto's head flew back. A heartbeat later, the raven slammed his foot into the blond's stomach with a loud thwack, now completing the reversal and sending the attacker sliding across the gym floor, back the way he came. Barely allowing his breath time to return, the fox pulled himself to his feet and pulled a mirror stance to Sasuke, panting furiously. The loose orange t-shirt he was wearing had slipped untidily to reveal his neck and shoulder. The dark-eyed boy licked his lips with his soft pink tongue, staring intently at Naruto's tanned skin. Luckily it wasn't a hint that the fox was inclined to pick up on.

"Ts… Naruto. Fight me," he drawled, feeling a desire to come into contact with the blond some more brewing in his chest. "Fight me!" Suddenly, Naruto's body began to shake in anger as he slowly began to run toward him.

"Sasuke!" he roared, throwing a punch in the direction of Sasuke's stomach. The raven easily blocked it, and then tried to counter it with one toward Naruto's cheekbone. Just as it was about to make contact, the fox slipped away and wrapped firm fingers around the snake's wrist. Another fist immediately flew towards the blue-eyed boy's stomach, but Naruto swept it away with his free hand and sent an elbow into Sasuke's ear.

"Ouch! Not again!" he cried. "Gaara! Can we use weapons?" he yelled toward the stands as he used his foot to release himself from Naruto.

"Yeah, if Naruto has a weapon," came the reply. His eyes flicked back down to the fox to ask him, but he was gone. Suddenly, something heavy and fast moving collided with his shins and he yelped, as his feet seemed to lose the floor only for his back to find it again with a loud thump. The fox had tripped him with a quick swing of his leg while he was distracted.

"Bastard!" he shouted, at the same time reaching for the shuriken he had in a holster under his rugby shirt on his waist. This fight was going to be intense and violent no matter what. As long as he didn't kill Naruto, then it didn't really matter what he did – though the shuriken weren't to throw at the fox directly. He dragged himself to his feet, shuriken in hand. By now, the fox was already wielding a kunai. Sasuke roared and flew towards the fox, trying to slash him with the metal stars. The fox deflected them using the kunai with equal fury, at the same time using his dodges to circle and confuse the snake. But Sasuke's eyes were keen, and when there was a moment where the blond's chest was unguarded, he wrapped his arms around Naruto's and pulled him hard into his knee with a loud crack.

"Argh!" he spluttered, spraying a small amount of his blood onto Sasuke's white cheek. Momentarily stunned by this action, Naruto could do nothing as the raven suddenly turned and began to run for the stairs onto the stands. He watched as Sasuke surfaced above him and made a jump for the railing – just like Naruto had. But instead of flinging himself down, he sprung as high as he could, his slender body stretched out toward the ceiling. He thrust his arms down, and then launched them up, furiously sending the shuriken spinning toward the lights. Upon the impact the white bulbs instantly shattered, plunging the gym back into darkness.

"Hey!" Sasori snapped. It was, however, too late. More to the point, it wasn't actually against the rules. Reaching the top of his jump, Sasuke flung his arms around the one of the light cases, hoping that it would manage the sudden weight. Fortunately, it did, and he clambered on top of it. Below him, he could hear Naruto yelling at the darkness with the passion he always seemed to have about everything.

"You coward!" he shouted, waving his arms up and down. "Fight me properly, teme! This isn't how you do it!"

"Ts, usuratonkachi," he said, just before transforming back to the slim black snake. Not being a python, he really couldn't crush the fox. He couldn't bite him without killing him either, which was no good at all. But he could crush as a human particularly well. If he managed to use his superior vibration detection skills and his ability to taste Naruto in the air, he should have an advantage in the dark. Even without hearing, he could have a great sense of where the fox would be at any given time.

"You're on the roof, you bastard," Naruto growled. Knowing Sasuke, it seemed likely that he would've transformed to give himself the edge in the darkness. Perhaps this change of situation could be good, though. Kakashi had trained him to use his own senses to his advantage, and even how to combat ones like Sasuke. Laughing darkly to himself, he let his skin begin to bristle with red fur, as his body shrank down and his eyes turned to an almost luminescent orange. He bared his sharp fangs and rotated his ears. Remaining silent and still, he listened for Sasuke. There was a sniff from Gaara in the stands, making Naruto quickly flick his head around. A long, low growl escaped his thin, black lips.

"Tssss…" A shiver rocketed through the fox's whiskers as he felt a prickling somewhere behind him. He could hear the scaly mass slithering slowly down the wall. His growl hitched and stopped as the snake reached the floor with a gentle thud. Making a quick decision, Naruto bounded away from the sound of the snake a few metres. Then, he stopped to listen once again. "Tsss…" To Naruto's satisfaction, it was now sliding faster in his direction. In only a few seconds, the snake had made it to the centre of the court. Not prepared to wait any longer, the fox suddenly burst into a sprint, heading around the snake in a wide circle. Sasuke paused, probing the air with his tongue. That idiot was trying to confuse him by running in circles. But that wasn't going to work – he was going too slowly to hinder the snake's abilities to track his movements. What the snake didn't notice was that the circles were slowly becoming smaller. His senses weren't tuned enough to notice the subtle change in distance, and was becoming befuddled by the constant changes in direction. When fangs suddenly sank into his pelt he hissed loudly and tried to writhe away, but Naruto had him. How had the fox managed to get so close to him? He continued to hiss furiously, but to no avail. Naruto merely bit harder, piercing the scales and causing dark blood to bubble to the surface, not even flinching as he was nipped in the collar with a mock bite from Sasuke. A cold sensation tickled the fox's belly as the wounded snake wrapped its tail around him. He chomped down harder, slamming the snake's head down onto the hard court down a few times, and shaking him. But suddenly, the scales in his mouth began to change and he spat it out as it began to expand. Panic rose to his chest and he tried to wriggle away from the tail around him – but it was too late, as they became legs that tightened around his body – a body that was now tiny compared to Sasuke's human form.

"Yip!" he cried, as the raven tore him away by the tail. A second later, he was yanked up by the scruff of the neck. Even in the dark, Naruto could still make out Sasuke's stiff face, and now bloodstained torso.

"Ts, Naruto. You've gotten stronger." He released the fox as its body retook a human form. Sasuke immediately engaged him, but with every punch or kick he directed, Naruto seemed to react quickly enough to stop them and return it with a little more. But this being hit hard was something Sasuke could handle well. He felt one of the blond's fists brush his stomach, he immediately bent with it, softening the blow, and adding moment momentum to the arm that was now flying to Naruto's shoulder. As the fox stumbled, the snake hooked his pale leg behind the fox's tanned one, and quickly drew it backward. With a well-timed push to the chest, it was enough to send Naruto tumbling to the floor. The fox gasped as he realised what was coming. Fast as lightening, he moved his arms to roll onto his stomach, but by the time he felt Sasuke's body move over his, he knew it was too late to stand. Scrunching his eyes closed, he tried to move his arms, but that familiar crushing pressure barely allowed him to twitch his fingers.

"Teme!" he cried, as he felt legs tightening around his thighs. Grunting, he strained against the python that was now breathing cool air into his neck. "Let me go!"

"Hnnnn… Narutooo…" the snake hissed gently, his eyes raking the exposed, tanned, drenched shoulder in front of his lips. The fox shuddered as a warm muscle ran up his neck.

"What the hell was that?" he squawked, squirming away from the thingy.

"It was my chin, dobe," the raven lied dryly, savouring the flavour of the fox's sweat in his mouth.

"Well don't rub your face on me! It's weird!" he complained, struggling harder against the strangling limbs. Suddenly, he felt his arm slip slightly. All the sweat had greased him up somewhat. With a loud hiss, the snake clamped down on him tighter – but that was a mistake. More pressure only squeezed the blond's slippery arm further out of his grasp.

"Shit… Ah!" Sasuke reeled back as Naruto's elbow collided with his already sore chin. He shot the fox a glare of death as it slipped away from him and pulled and pulled itself to its feet.

"Thanks a lot, bastard," growled Naruto, his whiskers quivering. "You got your blood on my t-shirt."

"Are you kidding?" Sasuke snapped back. "You got my favourite team's shirt ripped _and_ soaked in blood."

"Oh yeah?" The fox began to pout once again. "Then don't wear it to a fight where you know you'll get a beating," he shouted, charging at the glowering raven at full speed, kunai in hand. "Sasuke!"

"Naruto!" the raven roared back, chancing the charge with his own kunai that he retrieved from the back of his shorts. There was a flash of light as the weapons collided, lighting up the cold fire in their eyes as they battled by the strength of their arms. Burning sensations tore like needles through Sasuke's arms as he fought to overcome his rival. With a grunt, he pushed a little harder. His muscles groaned in response, as Naruto equalled the exertion on his side. For a moment, his eyes moved from the kunai grinding against one another to Naruto's face. His stomach melted into the floor below his feet. The fox's wicked grin grew as he saw the flicker of fear across the snake's cold, dead eyes.

"I have you now, you bastard," he whispered. "Because you know what? I'm barely even pushing right now. This anger that's bottled up inside of me is stronger than anything you can throw against me." With that, he pushed with all his might. Sasuke yelped as he felt the kunai slip from his fingers and catapult across the room, hitting the floor with a clatter. He tried to flip backwards, away from the slash that was coming, but as he leapt a sharp pain shot across his stomach as the kunai slashed his skin.

"Sasuke!" he heard Gaara cry from the stands, as the raven wrapped his arm around the fresh wound now embellishing his stomach. His black eyes shot to the stands to where he could see the silhouette standing right up against the railing, leaning out as far as he could.

"Gaara!" he shouted, taking a few steps away from the fox to avoid being tripped like last time. "Don't forfeit until I tell you to. I'm not giving up on this!" A loud pattering alerted him to another charge, and he went to raise his guard. But as he tried to move his arm from the wound, blinding pain shot through him and he clamped it back as a fist collided with his eye. He stumbled backward as two more fists came at him, one hitting just above his wound and one cutting up to his chin. As much as he tried to hold it in, he couldn't keep the strangled gasp of pain from escaping him as Naruto tackled him into the solid ground, hitting the back of his head on the polished wood. He flinched as a hand brushed his neck, but it tightened around the front of his shirt and pulled him up to Naruto, who was leaning over him with a face twisted with fury.

"Yeah, you bastard!" he growled, sharp teeth glinting behind his grin. "Don't give up! You know what'll happen then. You'll have to leave your precious Uchiha Academy and go somewhere else! You weren't expecting that to happen were you, teme? I bet you thought this'd be easy! I can't believe you'd get beaten up just to stay. Well I'm gonna beat you to a pulp, you bastard!" Sasuke hissed, blood that had been rolling down his face dripping into his mouth.

"You really think that's what I'd fight for? Staying at my father's school?" The fox grunted as his own collar was grabbed and he was yanked down. Sasuke's black eyes seemed to be boiling with thunder. "I am only fighting for the chance to fix mistakes of the past. I was only a child, Naruto! Why don't you see that?"

"Oh, please," Naruto scoffed, planting a hand on Sasuke's thought. "You weren't too young to know what you were doing was twisted."

"I've changed! I want to make things right between us, Naruto. We should've been like brothers!" shouted the raven, but his rumble was reduced to rasps as the fox's fingers tightened around his pale throat.

"Leave things be – I don't want anything to do with you!" the fox hissed back, squeezing the boy's throat as hard as he could. Dark hair spilling around him, the raven scrunched his eyes closed and grasped at the hands as nails pierced his skin, causing blood to drip down his neck and make a pool at his collarbone. Gurgling and choking noises managed to break out, but he couldn't exhale, and he could feel his larynx bruising badly. Just as his face began to turn blue, the fox released him. Gasping and sobbing, Sasuke sucked in the air around him. His throat felt like it had entered a trash compactor, and even breathing hurt.

"No…" he croaked as Naruto's knees pinned down his arms. One eye opened to look up at the fist that was now flying toward his face. He grunted as it smashed into his cheek for the third time. Struggling to escape from under the fox, he was helpless as Naruto punched him repeatedly, until the blood poured down his face like he'd been swimming in it. Blackness was swirling around his vision as it tried to pull him into unconsciousness. But Sasuke couldn't let it. There was no way he could blow his only chance to make things right. He groaned in agony as the blond, who was panting violently, finally relented and clambered off him.

"That's enough," he murmured. He turned away and began to walk for the stands, but stopped as he heard a scraping sound behind him.

"No," came Sasuke's voice. Naruto spun around, eyes wide. The boy looked a mess. He was dripping with blood, and his eye had been smashed to hell. But his voice sounded just as powerful as it always did. "I know things will be better when we're friends. I know it. That's why I am not done here, Naruto." He felt like his body had been ripped to pieces, but the raven did his best to ignore it as he raised his guard. This couldn't be the end.

"Whatever you want, Sasuke. Beating you up really doesn't get old." The snake gave him a brief nod, so Naruto launched himself toward him again. His face was flecked with Sasuke's blood. The raven ducked a sweeping fist and threw his own, landing a weak hit in Naruto's gut. The fox grunted, before sending his own punch into Sasuke's chest. The dark-eyed boy wailed in pain as he was sent shooting backward, though he didn't let himself fall over.

"Sasuke," came Gaara's worried voice once again. "You look done to me."

"No!" Sasuke roared back. "I'm not finished." With that he flew at Naruto with great speed, this time landing a powerful kick to the blond's solar plexus. The blond spluttered slightly, before grabbing the raven's shoulders and smashing his head hard into the other's forehead. White flashed through Sasuke's eyes as his body screamed at him that he really was finished now. A smothered scream slipped through his clenched teeth.

"Sasuke, please!" his friend pleaded, as Naruto formed his hands into a ball and slammed them into the back of Sasuke's head as though it was a volley ball.

"No way!" the snake gasped, collapsing onto all fours. This time the fox didn't pounce on him, and instead waited as the snake returned to his feet and sent a wild punch toward the fox's chin. Naruto easily dodged it and delivered a kick to Sasuke's side, making him stumble. With a roar of energy, the snake lunged. The fox sidestepped him and grabbed a fistful of the opponent's drenched hair, pulling the raven back. Sasuke screamed again, his face twisted in sheer agony. Naruto sighed and raised his kunai, placing it against one of Sasuke's fingers, as though he meant to cut it off.

"That's enough!" Gaara screamed, shaking Sasori. "We forfeit! We forfeit!" The taller sighed, waving his hand at Naruto, despite it being too dark to actually see it.

"Stop maiming the poor kid, Naruto. You win." Suddenly, Sasuke let out a strangled, pathetic, sobbing scream.

"No! No, Sasori!" he moaned. The fox let him go and he flopped to the ground, burying his blood soaked face in his hands. "It can't be over… I'm not finished!"

"Rules are rules, Sasuke," Sasori drawled. His voice sounded almost bored. "Gaara couldn't just let him kill you." Naruto bit his lip as he stared down at the shaking, dripping wreck he had created at his feet. The energy emanating from it was immense – it was power that almost made him shudder. He was going to force the raven to leave the Academy purely based on the assumption that Sasuke wasn't sincere in his claim. But the way he had fought… and what he had said… _You really think that's what I'd fight for? We should've been like brothers._ Inhaling deeply to stop his lip from trembling and his eyes welling up, he limped over to where Sasuke was sat in a shaking ball, crouching down to him and laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Sasuke. You can say at Uchiha Academy," he murmured, rubbing the shoulder gently, his eyes falling on the purple marks on the boy's white neck.

"Ts. I don't care," Sasuke drawled back, his face hidden behind his dark hair.

"But Sasuke, you have to give up on this 'trying to fix the past' crap. They don't matter to me anymore. I just want to be left alone." Suddenly, Sasuke's hand flew forward as he grabbed the front of Naruto's shirt, meeting surprised blue eyes with his battered and tired ones. They were framed with blood and burning with… something between passion and anger.

"Dobe!" he yelled, his white teeth glinting. "I always cared about you, Naruto! Those mistakes matter to me and they always will! This pain that I feel now is _nothing_! It's absolutely nothing compared to the pain I go through every day that we aren't friends!"

**Dandandannnn! Sasuke needs to stop getting himself beat up he won't be as pretty with loads of scars... but that's fine. Hey he got a sneaky bit of tongue in there without Naruto noticing - pretty skilfull I'd have to say. Anyway keep reading I'll update ASAP**


	5. Heart Palpitations

**Sorry for the delay folks but I've had VERY limited computer access. Bite me. Nah kidding don't bite me ^3^ just gimme reviews please. ANYWAY o.o here is Chapter 5 (finally) and a break from action for a chapter. Anyway I hope you enjoy it. Sasuke's just like IT'S NEVER OVER WHILE I'M BREATHING and Naruto's like I WAS HOPING YOU'D SAY THAT and then there's like a giant robot armour thing and blue people and rainforests and stuff... It's awesome. I hope you enjoy:**

5 – Heart Palpitations

Naruto's ear hurt. It wasn't the sound of the chattering around him or the loud pops that were coming from the front of the room, nor was it Deidara's noisy laugh. An intense heat was burning through the flesh and into his brain and it was lighting up the whole right hand side of his face. But whenever he glanced across the room, those burning dark eyes would be fixed to the test tube, or a poster, or on his friends as though they had never been on him at all. Perhaps that burning was all in his head, not his ear after all. It seemed as though surely the snake was preoccupied and far too busy to actually be staring at him. Nevertheless, when the fox turned away again he was sure that somehow he could feel those eyes. And it worried him. In an attempt to wash the sensation away, he gave his long-haired friend a sheepish smile.

"Hey, Deidara," he said, receiving a raised eyebrow from the other blond, "I know we use the potassium permanganate stuff a lot but… what is it exactly?" The boy groaned and pushed a hand through his chin length fringe.

"Why do you even take chemistry, Naruto? It's K and MnO4-. It's purple shit that is reduced to form Mn2+. That's all you need to know," Neji told him. The fox's eyes seemed to widen like he'd had an epiphany, letting the others breathe a sigh of relief.

"Wow, okay. So the permanganate is a reductant?"

"Oh my god, Naruto!" Deidara groaned, as Neji shook his head in defeat. "Even I don't get this confused." With a thoughtful hand on his chin, the brunet raised an eyebrow at Naruto.

"You know, if you say that Sasuke-kun has offered you chem. tutoring then perhaps you should accept his offer." Well-meaning as Neji's suggestion was, it was immediately met with a dark snarl from the fox.

"No!" he snapped. "That would be admitting defeat!"

"Yeah," agreed the other. "Help from that bastard wouldn't be worth it. And he was probably just having him on anyway to embarrass him in front of the group." At this, the white eyed boy looked over to Sasuke, who was writing observations into Sakura's workbook with the redheaded boy leaning over his shoulder.

"I doubt it," he said lightly. "I don't think that he would intentionally do something like that." Naruto let out a noise somewhere between a scoff and a laugh.

"Yeah, but you don't know him like I do," he said, making circles in the air with his hands.

"Exactly," Neji continued. "The Sasuke I know is nothing like the one from your past who you described to me in detail. There is nothing pretentious about him."

"Well that'd just be great, wouldn't it?" the ferret said, folding his arms. "For people like us, of course." Not liking that his attempt to distract himself from the raven was failing miserably, Naruto crossed his arms as well with a grumpy pout.

"What do you mean?" he asked his friend, letting out a huff.

"Not that I'm not satisfied with Sasori or anything, but Sasuke is… not bad looking." A small smile spread across his lips, but it quickly vanished. "But to be honest, he's not really my type. I really don't get along with him – he's too serious. He's boring, actually."

"He's not my type either," said the white eyed boy, looking the raven across the room up and down. "Nope. Besides, there is no saying what gender that guy's into or if he even thinks like that at all. His mind is a black box." Naruto felt his stomach turn a little in sync with the turn of topic.

"Okay, Deidara. I never said I was gay, so I don't know what you meant by 'people like us' unless you were just talking about you and Neji." Deidara shrugged.

"Fine then. Are you gay, Naruto? If so then I'm warning you in advance that I'm not into cheesy rugby playing loudmouths, so don't try anything." A mirthful grin found him as Naruto turned a little red.

"No, I'm not gay, you bastard," he growled, squeezing his folded arms tighter. "I still think it's harsh to not like Sasuke because he's too serious. He was serious when we were kids before he turned sour, but he was still awesome and he was still my best friend. What if I said that you're too obnoxious?"

"Well I wouldn't care, you retard, because we aren't love interests – we're mates. And as you've said, that freak isn't your friend anymore. I'll be as harsh as I like," the ferret said, his voice slightly deeper. "God… Don't tell me you're actually falling for that bullshit he fed you half a term ago – the shit about him 'caring' about you and all that. You know it's just a ruse so he can get under your skin again. Uchihas obsess over power. That's why he stole the damned pendant in the first place, you realise."

"I'm not falling for anything…" Naruto grumbled, squirting some brown stuff into his potassium permanganate for no particular reason.

However, even five weeks after the fight between snake and fox, the Uchiha really had found away under his skin. So many emotions were fighting for dominance inside of the fox, but in the end, only one really stood out. Confusion. Things about the snake that made him sizzle and burn with rage were almost diminished by Sasuke's recent actions, and Naruto honestly couldn't understand how or why. He associated the word 'dishonourable' with the snake frequently, but there was nothing dishonourable about the way the man had fought him, nor with how he had adhered to the fox's wish that he should be left alone. Sasuke hadn't spoken to Naruto much since the fight, and if they met in the corridor he'd receive nothing more than a shy nod from the raven before he'd continue on his way. In a weird way, when he locked eyes with Sasuke he felt as though they were still fighting. He could no longer agree with Deidara. The snake wasn't lying to him about his desire to reunite with the fox, for whatever reason. While Naruto wasn't exactly academic, he was far from stupid, and he was beginning to see that chance that Neji saw. There was a chance that the boy with blue-black hair and eyes was different now. Maybe Naruto even liked the idea of being with the old Sasuke enough to give him another chance. But he was afraid. By letting the raven back into his life he would risk repeating everything he went through in his earlier years. Could he even go through something like that again? It wasn't just the punches that hurt. It wasn't the rumours that got to him and made him break down in tears. Hell, it probably wasn't even the pendant being stolen that sucked the most. Naruto had trusted and even loved Sasuke as a friend. Sasuke had known that. But he took everything that the bubbly, blue-eyed boy had given him and beat it to a pulp before throwing it back in his face. That was why Naruto didn't know. He didn't know what to do about Uchiha Sasuke anymore. Be strong or be weak. Be strong and don't let an ancient problem bother him, or be weak and let it get to him. Be brave or be cowardly. Be brave and risk the pain of being hurt by Sasuke again, or be cowardly and protect his own heart by letting this chance to solve the problem forever slip through his fingers.

The following Saturday after Naruto's confusion there was a boy's night plus Sakura at Gaara's house. Well, having Sakura there probably did contradict the theme of it being a boy's night, as Gaara pointed out. Even more so when their plan to watch horror films was uprooted and rudely squawked at by the girl, and then swapped out by a dorky ninja movie from the eighties.

"It's ridiculous," Sasuke complained, as the movie was about to begin. "Their fighting moves make no sense and they fly when they're supposed to jump."

"Yeah," Shikamaru agreed, narrowing his eyes at the girl. "The bad guy will fling himself toward the good guy so slowly that the good guy will have ages to think up a way to stop him."

"I like ninja movies," Gaara added dryly. The others stared at him for a minute before refocusing their attention to the beginning of the film. The film was cheesy, as predicted a few too many times by Shikamaru, but was also hysterical, as predicted by Sakura. What they didn't predict was that Sasuke would have to cover his face with Gaara's pillow when the protagonist was lamenting his feelings of regret and undying love to the female lead.

"Oh, Sasuke. You're such a romantic," Shikamaru told him while staying at a safe distance. They also didn't realize how stuffy a teenager's bedroom could get with four bodies and a busy laptop in it for a really long time. Sakura was eventually the one to let out some of the heavy adolescent steam that had accumulated inside out of the window. As the film ended and was tossed to the side in its case, the teens piled themselves up on the squishy double bed with few words escaping their lips. As Gaara pulled out a bag of confectionary made by his father's established company and pulled it open, Sakura took it off him with a smile.

"Ooh yum," she said, placing a finger against her lips and popping one of the lychee flavoured sweets in her mouth and chewing. "My favourite. Lychees are weird in Hokkaido."

"That's not a lychee," Shikamaru teased, stealing the bag off her. "Sorry, Sakura, but these don't compare to the real thing. Gomen nasai, Gaara," he added, glancing at his slightly irritated friend. "They're best in summer."

"Hn," agreed the raven, plucking one out of the packet. "They're nice in cocktails. Itachi calls them 'summer kisses'."

"I like summer," the lizard said with a thin smile. "Ne, Sakura, how is it going between you and Itachi? It's a Segway drawn from 'summer kisses'." The cherry blossom shot a glance at Sasuke. Fortunately the snake did little more than raise his eyebrows in curiosity. Honestly, she'd done her best not to talk about it much to her friends. She didn't want to make them feel like she valued one side more than the other. Keeping things separate was probably good for now.

"Things are going nicely. I don't see him much, but he does take me out every couple of weeks for dinner or something." At this Shikamaru looked almost taken aback.

"Every couple of weeks?" he said, sitting up a little. "That's not very often."

"He says he's sorry, and he's been so busy," replied Sakura with a simple shrug. "He also said he'll take me somewhere nice these holidays so we can spend more time together."

"Where?" the redhead asked her. As usual, he was straight to the point with his questions and statements. The girl shrugged again, listlessly twirling her pink hair around her finger and staring at the brown bedspread.

"Everywhere. Anywhere. I hope he takes me overseas – I mean, he is farting money." For some reason, Sasuke felt a surge of annoyance at this. A question seemed to be exploding in his brain – a question he'd been asking himself about Itachi and Sakura for a while now, but wasn't ready to voice it.

"Do you love him?" he asked her suddenly, his dark eyes like pools of ice. Wide, green orbs shot to him like he'd just punched the person next to him. A sense of bitterness that he didn't believe in and that he didn't want to feel was fighting to be heard, as he bit down hard onto his lip. It wasn't enough. "It would be weird if you did, I guess. You don't really know him." Sakura's usually gentle and kind eyes narrowed, and her soft pink lips curved into a snarl. _Shut up!_ Sasuke thought furiously to himself. _Shut the hell up!_ "You probably find him hot, ne Sakura. Maybe it's because I'm gay so you just figured he'd be a good fallback." How he wished that his body would stop being so awfully indifferent and actually show the internal conflict he felt, as Sakura's face turned red and tears welled in the corner of her now livid eyes.

"Actually, Sasuke," she hissed, leaning toward his nose, "I do love him, and he loves me. That's why we're going on holiday together. I agreed to be his girlfriend in spite of the fact that he's your brother, in the hopes that he wasn't a bastard like you. And he's not." Smirking lips accidentally spread across the raven's face, nearly tempting the girl to reach out and tear them off. "What's more," she snapped, "I know him well enough to know that he's in this relationship with me for the long run. We have stuff like that in common."

"Hn. I was just making sure." Sasuke pulled himself up and away from the girl's now slightly aggravated expression. "For both of you, I was making sure." Next to him, Gaara nodded with a slight frown.

"That's great Sakura. Shikamaru's turn next. How's Tenten?" he asked blankly, in spite of the angry blush spreading across the brunet's face. Shikamaru patted his chest and coughed, as if to regain his dignity after a moment of semi-embarrassment.

"I dunno. It turns out she has two massive crushes on Sasuke and Neji, neither of whom are interested. Neji only has eyes for you, who only has eyes for not having eyes for anyone," he sighed, before leaning forward on his elbows. "She's probably not right for me anyway. I just liked her for the sake of liking someone." Shikamaru's narrowed eyes went even thinner as Sasuke snorted.

"Ts. More like for the sake of distracting yourself from Temari," he drawled. A hand clapped over his mouth and he whipped around to see Gaara glaring at him.

"She has a room next door, so shut your stupid face," grumbled the redhead, before releasing the raven. "And Shikamaru; you're allowed to like her. It annoys me that you pretend you don't and that you look at other girls when my sister is the one who is truly important to you."

"But I don't li-" the brunet began to press, but his voice hitched at the slight change in the lizard's often stiff expression. "But she's your sister."

"Hey Shikamaru," Sakura said, gesturing to herself with a silly grin. "Exhibit A: I am currently dating Sasuke's brother." He sent her a sharp, cynical glare.

"I wouldn't call his reaction 'accepting' though. And nothing has happened between you and Itachi to force Sasuke to pick a side yet. But when he does he'll choose Itachi, and you'll be hurt for it."

"I don't care. I love Itachi and I'm willing to risk it," retorted the girl, eyebrow raised high.

"Maybe I'm not," Shikamaru threw back, his volume steadily climbing.

"What about my sister's feelings? Are you just going to leave her hanging forever? If you were worried about causing damage, you already have." Sasuke glanced at Gaara. He was being worryingly vocal at that moment. "I can't forgive you for kissing her, because you left her a day later when you chickened out." Not one to argue, Shikamaru only leered back at Gaara. He wasn't prepared to delve into this any further tonight anyway. Sasuke sent Sakura look of concern, but she only returned it with a slight sneer. Clearly she was still annoyed with his rude behaviour earlier. Finally, the brunet gave a sigh of defeat and the raven and the cherry blossom gave a sigh of relief.

"Enough," Shikamaru muttered, a light blush still on his cheeks. "It was better before when we were all mad at Sasuke. I hate being in the thick of it."

"I guess I can understand that," Sasuke drawled. "Recently I always seem to be in the thick of it. At school even my teachers are acting like they're 'disappointed' and father has been lecturing me recently about keeping up reputations at home. The other day he called me into his office to tell me that if I couldn't improve things then I would no longer be worth raising and that he'd stop and kick me out on my ass. After that he went on to tell me that I was pathetic; living in Itachi's shadow like an urchin. Then he began that whole 'you're a worthless waste of resources' bullshit again." Sakura immediately shed all irritation she felt toward the snake and threw her arms dramatically around his neck. To her amazement, she received little resistance.

"Poor Sasuke!" she cried, cradling his head. In a way, she was somewhat glad she couldn't see his expression. "That's such a horrible way to treat your children. Now I understand why you spat in his whiskey." For a split second, she thought he was sniveling again as his body shook slightly under her arms. It was only when she heard somewhat disturbing, dark rumbling emanating from him that she realized he was cackling. Pulling her body away, her arms slipped off his shoulders as she stared at him as he threw back his head and shook with laughter. She turned to Gaara, as if seeking an explanation, but the lizard was only exchanging equally concerned looks with Shikamaru.

"I don't care how he treats me," the snake sniggered, his voice almost a moan. "Every time he does these things he only makes it easier for me to ruin him. Then Itachi can run our business without him stealing our assets. I can free mother too – she won't have to be stuck in the business relationship that she sometimes calls 'marriage'." By now, the terrifying grin had softened to a wide smirk, and he fixed his burning eyes onto Sakura's. "If he thinks I'm weak, that suits me perfectly. All the while, Itachi and I are getting more powerful, right under his nose. So don't worry about me, Sakura. I relish the hatred he brews."

"Yeah, but it makes you bitter," Sakura told him, her lips in a pout. "It's sinister, Sasuke."

"I don't care if it's sinister," he snapped. "You don't know what he's like. He deserves to die, and if that's what it takes to end his tyranny over the Uchihas and our subordinates then I would happily make that happen." The girl furrowed her brow, showing increasing concern at Sasuke's mood swings – not to mention half the stuff he was ranting on about. Seeing that she was only feeling worse about him, the raven grimaced and their broke eye contact, his dark hair swaying. "So you're going to be like Gaara and Shikamaru about this, too? That's fine. I don't care what you think anyway. All three of you are unambitious and weak. I don't want to be like you. Keep your opinions of my vision to yourself."

"Then keep your vision to yourself," Shikamaru growled. "I actually hate you sometimes, Sasuke. Like when you bring up your father. Forget what I said before – I'd prefer to still be talking about Temari."

"You're being an asshole tonight, Sasuke," the lizard told him with bored blue eyes. "I suggest that you stop talking."

"Ts!" the snake hissed loudly, baring teeth at Gaara. "Nani, Gaara? You've met the bastard and you're telling me to back down?" The lizard shook his head, placing a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. As usual, his therapeutic blandness quickly over the raven and his ghostly face began to relax somewhat.

"We don't like your father. We understand that you have to do what you have to do. We don't, however, like to hear you talking so passionately about hatred, nor do we like being called unambitious or weak." The boy with black eyes tried to hold his façade, but it wavered enough to see the guilt in the crease of his brow and the drooping of his shoulders. Sasuke paused, his mouth slightly open.

"Gomen nasai," he murmured. "I just feel like you should feel the same way as I do. I don't really understand why you wouldn't agree with my feelings; my hatred. Your reluctance to support them confuses me."

"Then just accept that we don't," the boy with brown hair tied into a spikey ponytail said, his hard eyes glaring into Sasuke.

"We never will, either. It's still fine for us to support you with Naruto though," Sakura said, pushing strands of dark hair out of the boy's eyes. "Unless you want to kill him. We can't support that."

"Actually," Shikamaru pushed in, "there was that time when Gaara helped him try at the start of the term. Though that was more like Naruto killing Sasuke rather than the other way around."

"Hn," the raven grumbled, pushing his head into Gaara's pillow (again). "Don't remind me." The brunet sniggered.

"And you haven't talked to him for how long exactly?"

"He told me not to."

"So you've given up?"

"Ts. I've retreated," Sasuke drawled. "I'd sooner give up on getting revenge on father."

"Shut up about that, will you Sasuke?" the cherry blossom asked him, her voice tinged with exasperation. "You know, I sat next to Naruto in history last week, and he asked me some things about you." The snakes eyes narrowed and they fell back on her face. "He asked if you were okay, and if I thought that you were serious when you told him that you cared about him. So of course, I told him that you were and you weren't, and that you were." Just as Sasuke opened his mouth to pour thanks onto the girl, the door clicked open and Gaara's sister – a pretty girl with thick blonde hair tied into four explosions coming out of the top and bottom of her head, and rare dark green eyes – appeared at the doorway. Next to her stood a young man with long brown hair and hard, narrow eyes.

"Hey, Gaara, Sasuke, Sakura and Shikamaru. Just quickly before we disappear I want to introduce you all to my new boyfriend," she said, gesturing to the man who nodded politely. Miraculously, the younger brunet was facing away from the door and didn't see how familiar that guy looked as the couple shut the door again and left. As soon as Temari's voice reached his ears he had tensed up and his eyes had narrowed – even more so as she coldly said his name. When he felt the others' eyes examining his expression he immediately reverted to his calm disposition.

"As you can see, Gaara, she has moved on. It makes it easier for me to move on as well," he said, casually flicking his hand. The lizard glowered at him, his blue eyes shimmering in the low light.

"She's trying to make you jealous," he stated coldly.

"Didn't you see the guy she was with, Shika?" Sakura asked him, her eyebrow raised. "He looked a lot like you. Similar eyes and mouth; only his hair was slightly lighter." The dog shot her a cynical look.

"Sakura – I kissed her when I was thirteen and she was fourteen. I'm pretty sure she's moved on," he pressed.

"Well you haven't," the snake pointed out, receiving a deadly leer. "Seriously – she'll dump him the second you make it clear that you're still interested."

"Don't be an idiot, Sasuke. They're going out. Temari's sensible and wouldn't hold on to a four year old crush."

"She's probably listening in on us right now to gauge your reaction to her new man," the girl teased. Making the brunet blush was like a sport. Shikamaru stared at her with deep loathing.

"Will you all please shut up?" he said with a growl to which she only gave a smirk. Rolling his eyes, Gaara pushed past Sasuke and clambered over to the laptop on his bedside table.

"Next movie," he grumbled. None of the conversations seemed to be going in the right direction for anyone; he was getting annoyed with Shikamaru, and everyone was getting annoyed with Sasuke. That was probably why no one stopped him as he placed the laptop back at the end of the bed – not even Sakura, when he took a blood-soaked horror film from the pile and put it in the computer. Yet even when Sakura was crying into his shoulder as a girl was being pulled apart by a demon, with blood and guts spilling all over the mausoleum floor in a disgusting and violent manner, Sasuke found himself smiling a little. Not because he was sadistic and enjoyed watching people being ripped open, but rather because the tiny titbit of news Sakura had given him made him feel a spark of happiness that he had missed. Perhaps if Naruto heard how he felt through someone with a reputation of honesty and kindness, then the fox might take him seriously. That being said, just Naruto knowing how that Sasuke really wanted to be friends again didn't necessarily mean anything. Of course, things would definitely develop if Naruto knew _exactly_ how the raven felt. Confess. His dark eyes narrowed as the word that almost made him nauseous floated around in his head. How foolish it would be to confess to that dobe at a time like this. Things would develop greatly – but far more likely in the wrong way than in the right way. It would achieve little more than terrifying Naruto and the consequences would equal Sasuke screaming the truth from the rooftops. The ball was in the fox's court. The snake would have to be patient. If Sasuke guessed correctly, then sooner or later Naruto would confront him again.

Monday morning was just as god-awful as ever, and by Monday afternoon, it was widely agreed that it was probably for the best that it was finally over for at least another week. In a way though, Sasuke hadn't had a better morning for a long time. Maybe it was just wishful thinking, but he felt like Naruto was softer toward him suddenly. It felt almost as good as when the fox got all riled up, but it wasn't as cute. It was pathetic, really. This tiny change in the blond's attitude gave the raven a disproportionately large buzz. He was practically humming through his classes and the girls around him seemed more infatuated than usual, just seeing the usually desolate boy looking almost happy. A purr even escaped him at one point during first period chemistry as he remembered taking that cheeky taste of Naruto during their fight. Of course, when he realised that he was behaving exactly like those stupid girls who followed him around and sent him putrid letters, he just about pulled out a large chunk of his hair. Next to him, Naruto raised an eyebrow and tapped his pen on his book. The reptile was behaving very strangely for someone who was normally so opaque. Such a random mix of happy, angry and bored. In the end, the arrival of the afternoon was a relief for Sasuke. The morning felt good, but riding a roller coaster feels good too, and he didn't feel that he was a very roller coastery person. At lunch break he felt a little confused and discombobulated. He barely even listened to a word Tenten was saying as she rolled up next to him on his way to the abandoned classroom, so he automatically told her to piss off. Judging by her reaction – going bright red and fighting back tears – it was a confession. Tenten was no crybaby under normal circumstances. Stumbling in through the doorway and stumbling across the room to his corner, he certainly got some stares from Hinata, Kiba and Tobi. He flopped onto the bookcase and chomped down on his tomato, still gazing emptily away from reality.

"Is everything all good with you, Sasuke? You look a little out of it," asked the cherry blossom, as she leaned casually against the wall in front of him. Her vibrant green eyes were still a little puffy from lack of sleep.

"Hn."

"He's thinking about Naruto. I can tell," Gaara said in his monotonous tone. "If it's possible to tell what he's thinking, he's thinking about Naruto."

"Hn."

"I reckon he's just thinking about those dirty things that ukes like Sasuke think," Shikamaru teased, before taking a bite out of his rice ball.

"Hn."

"Then it's probably best if we left him to his thoughts," Sakura sighed, diverting the conversation away from the raven. It was then that Sasuke gave her a rare look, but the pure adoration in his lips and sparkling in his onyx eyes escaped her notice. _I might have gotten through to him on some level thanks to you, Sakura. Even if I haven't, I feel better._ The twinge of hope pinging at his heart strings grew stronger as he remembered what Neji had told him about Naruto – how the fox still clung on to their old friendship as he did. Since he lost in the fight against Naruto, he had almost convinced himself that it was Game Over for good. Now there was a chance. Just as Sasuke was about to fall into a daydream, a familiar spicy feeling prickled in the back of his neck. His eyes flew up to the fox as he entered the room and his heart burst out of his chest and flopped onto the ground in front of him. Beautiful, sparkly, sky blue sapphires were staring back at him. Well, Naruto had actually looked at Sasuke before. The amazing thing was the eyes were different, but the same. Even though the fox was looking at the snake, they didn't change – they didn't harden or go dark. They were curious, wondering, and Naruto-like. For the first time in years, the fox looked upon his enemy the same way that he looked upon everything else. And for Sasuke, this was… the raven shook his head and tore his eyes away. There was no need to seem like a staring weirdo. Yet he was still wide-eyed, staring in shock at his hand that was gripping the edge of the bookcase. A part of him was actually still bitter at this point – well he was always bitter. Being in love with the fox sometimes made him feel weak. It could make him behave irrationally, and do things like stare gormlessly at nothingness.

"Sasuke-kun," came the fox's gritty voice. A sharp pain smashed into the raven's chest as though he'd been impaled by an icicle, but with a burst of concentration, he still managed to meet Naruto's eyes in a calm manner. The blond was almost pouting and his brow was furrowed, but he almost seemed to be holding back from an aggressive attitude. It was only too bad that his tolerance had been so short-lived. "Can I talk to you a minute?" he asked, fighting back a growl and failing.

"Hn," the elder muttered, before standing and following the fox to the opposite corner of the room. With a sigh and a grimace, he scanned the two groups situated a little away from them on either side. The entire room had looked up from their conversations and were either cupping their ears or craning their necks toward the snake and the fox. "You dobe," he grumbled to the now grumpy blond. "This isn't a private conversation."

"Well it isn't supposed to be," replied Naruto with a huff. "Everyone knows anyway."

"Hn." The raven shuffled closer and leaned into the fox's ear, to show he was still uncomfortable with being the centre of attention. "What is it, Naruto?" The boy with tanned skin and whiskers bit his lip, looking at Sasuke out of corner of his eye.

"Well," he began in a low whisper, "I've thought really hard about what you said during our last fight. So I'm giving you one last shot to convince me that we should be friends." Now the snake could hardly help but smirk a little.

"It sounds to me like you already are convinced, Naruto," he mumbled, quickly glancing back to catch the dirty looks that Deidara and Sasori were giving him.

"Sorry, but I still think you could be leading me on," the fox told him, his pout deepening. "If you're being honest with me though, I think it's really nice of you to try and make things better, and I'd totally be keen on being friends. So hold onto that little bit of hope. So here's the test – come with me, Sasori, Tobi, Deidara and a friend on holiday." As the words fell on his ears, the raven felt his legs go a little numb.

"Where will we be going?" he asked quietly, wondering if he should just end it all now.

"Lake Kasumigaura. Remember when we used to go there?" Now Sasuke's entire lower half seemed to lose all feeling.

"I," he gulped. "I remember. So this is the nature of your test? You're hoping that if I mean what I say, I'll go with you and do this. You know that if I was messing around with you I could never accept."

"That's not the test, Sasuke. I discarded the pendant into the lake after you returned it back to me. You have to find it." Horror descended on the raven like a falling anvil. Naruto grinned darkly at him as his white skin turned slightly green and his eyes widened.

"B-but that's totally ridiculous. It's impossible. It'll have been washed away or buried in silt and that lake is enormous – and it's shallow too. Someone could've easily seen it and taken it years ago. I mean, what you're asking is just nuts. I'm not magic. I can't believe you threw it away in the first place," he stuttered, gripping the fox's shoulder. The blond sniggered.

"Calm down, teme. In the lake below our Villa we had a pool dug in the lake to make a deep area for diving, which is where I threw my pendant. It's about twenty metres cubed. All you have to do is jump in and get it."

"Twenty metres?" the raven rasped, shaking Naruto's shoulder. "Twenty metres? That's really deep. Really deep! That's still impossible."

"Not really," the fox replied, pinching Sasuke's hand coolly. With a yelp, the raven drew it back in. "I read recently that all snakes can swim really well and hold their breath for a long time."

"Yeah," said snake hissed, glaring furiously at the mirthful fox. "I know that. But I hate water. I'll freak out and expire down there."

"It wouldn't be a test if it wasn't hard, Sasuke," Naruto teased. "You're just as cowardly as ever."

"I know I am. I can admit it," the raven agreed, biting his own lip. "I'll do anything. Anything other than this. I can't stand water – especially deep water – and I'll crack if I am stuck with those three idiots for the whole holiday," he said, pointing back toward the three idiots.

"So bring a friend. This is the test, Sasuke. Take or leave it," said the fox, his voice challenging and gruff. Eyes wide with anguish, the dark-haired boy pushed his face into the wall next to him. "If you pass, it'll make me really happy. I promise we'll be friends again if you can do this, Sasuke. I promise."

"Ugh," Sasuke groaned with scrunched eyes. He lifted his head slowly off the wall and turned to the shorter with a defeated look, the corners of his mouth down turned. "If this what it's going to take then there's no question. I'll do it." At this, a huge grin split across the blond's sweet face. To his embarrassment, Sasuke was met with the natural look again and his cheeks turned a visible shade of red as his heart panged.

"That's awesome! You won't disappoint me, ne snakey?" he laughed, before patting his old friend's shoulder and turning back to rejoin his group. The snake merely sighed, completely exhausted by the sudden change of circumstances. Yes, he should be ecstatic, though he'd probably have nightmares about drowning in his sleep that night and possibly every night for the rest of his life, too.

"You idiot, Naruto! He's playing you like fucking puppet." Sasuke shot around with an acidic glare as Deidara's voice rang out. "A guy like him gets sick kicks out of making fake friends and smashing them. He's done it before and he'll do it again." The anger flying through his nerves made them feel nearly white hot. Every ounce of the raven's self control was being poured into preventing himself from punching the dobe's friend hard in the eye. He bit his tongue and hissed, his glare deepening as Deidara's eyes met his. The ferret only glared right back. "Just look at him. You really think you could ever be safe as his friend?"

"Shut up, Deidara!" Naruto barked, his eyes flashing amber. At this, a few people who knew the fox less intimately had to give him a double take. "Seriously, just shut up for once! You don't even know him, but you're being a total asshole." The room really was silent now – Deidara was staring at his friend, just as surprised as everyone else at his sudden defence of the raven. Sasuke himself felt taken aback. A hand gently gripped his arm and pulled him back to the book cabinet.

"Come on, Sasuke," Sakura murmured, seating him back down. "Finish your tomato and tell us what happened later."

**SASUKE! EYWA HAS HEARD YOU! hehe... The next chapter is gonna be sweet thanks to the powah of money (yay for Naruto being wealthy)... Well now you've probably figured out that this Sasuke is hydrophobic. I think that's cool every hero needs a weakness otherwise they're just lame.**

**Unfortunately for you (but not for me because holidays rule) i only have limited computer access still so chapter 6 may be a while.. no more than a week of course :D Also... last thing... GO THE ALL BLACKS!**


	6. Paralysis

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME IN... six minutes :) yup i stayed up finishing this for you guys aren't I nice? Well... I hope you like this. Sorry if Sasuke seems pathetic, but it's just for this chapter only so that Naruto can see into Sasuke a little. ENJOY :3 oh UPDATE i've edited it now. Sorry for not doing it immediately.**

6 – Paralysis

"Kick, boy! Stop being so pathetic!" Sasuke tried to do as his father told him, but even when he flailed his legs as hard as he could, he could barely keep his chin above the water. Cold water caught in his throat as he took a sharp intake of breath. Spluttering and choking, he smashed his arms hard on the surface of the pool.

"Nii-san!" he cried, as the taste of chlorine, tears and snot dribbled onto his lips. Itachi, only six at the time, doggie paddled over to his flailing brother to support his legs and hold him above the water.

"Let go of him, Itachi," growled Sasuke's father from the edge of the pool, his black eyes almost completely hidden under the crease of his brow. "He needs to find out that if he can't learn fast in this world, he'll drown." The elder stared at his father, still clutching the panting Sasuke, before frowning and releasing the boy's legs. It would only be worse for the younger raven if he disobeyed his father. But… he couldn't watch. The sound of panicked splashing and choked whimpers rattled inside his head as he swam to the side and pulled himself out of the pool.

"N-nii-san!" Sasuke cried again, this time his high voice more desperate. "I… I'm gonna change into a snake now!"

"Don't you dare, Sasuke!" the man spat, his face turning red with fury. "A real Uchiha can face any challenge. You can't even handle the swimming pool. You undeserving little shit!" The cruel words hardly reached Sasuke's ears as he sank further into the deep end of the pool. Water rushed into his mouth as he tried to cry out to Itachi again. Just trying to keep his head above the water was exhausting, and he was only sinking deeper as he kicked harder. He was cold. His lungs hurt and his muscles were going limp. He needed to breathe. If only he could just swim to the end of the pool. Looking up at the dark ripple above him that was his father; he saw his black hair fluttering over him as he went down further. Another wave of panic flew into his chest. Tiny hands shot to the walls and grasped for support – but it was smooth and his nails didn't bite into any cracks. He threw up his weight. Nothing happened. Nothing happened at all. Tears pouring from his eyes and quickly vanishing into the water, Sasuke looked back to his father. The black ripple had disappeared. He had been left to drown. He wasn't good enough. The five year old child shut his eyes as the pain in his chest built. A useless child like himself deserved to die. How was it that an Uchiha as weak as himself was even born? Well at least Itachi was there. Sasuke didn't matter, because Itachi was there first, and he was better than the younger. That was how it should be.

"Nii-chan!" Sasuke's eyes flicked open just in time to see the jet of bubbles shoot toward him with a loud splash. Itachi wrapped his arms around his brother and pushed off the bottom of the pool, sending them slicing back to the surface.

"Nii-chan," Itachi muttered as the two boys lay together on the couch.

"Hn," replied the other, gently rubbing the scar on his head that Naruto had so kindly bestowed upon him.

"I know you care about Naruto." Sasuke turned to his brother with narrowed eyes, waiting for the 'but'. Equally as stern as his younger brother, Itachi frowned right back. "Don't you think that this has become an obsession? You shouldn't let yourself become blinded by obsession."

"I'm sorry," the snake drawled, his eyebrows drawing closer together, "but what do you think I'm getting blinded from?" Dark eyes shifted away from Sasuke's face.

"Watch yourself, Sasuke. Don't let obsession stop you from doing the right thing." Sasuke unclasped his hand that was lying in the warm yellow light at his hip, exhaling heavily. Sparkling pieces of dust danced into his palm like the droplets from a burst bubble. When the light caught them, the little squiggles shone gold until they floated into darkness, or landed gently in the boy's pale hand. Things like this reminded him of Naruto.

"Yes, nii-san," he murmured, closing his fist and pulling it back into the shadow. "I'll try my best not to."

"How will you find that pendant anyway?"

"Naruto said I should be able to see it. I don't really get it." Sasuke sighed. "Look, if it's impossible I'll quit. I'm not planning to die for this or anything."

"Hn," said his brother with a nod. "Focus, Sasuke." The young raven's eyes moved to the door as an irregular flash of light lit up the wall. "Gaara's here." The gentle whine of brakes and the crunch of gravel confirmed that a car had pulled up in the drive. Just as Sasuke was getting up and moving to pick up his suitcase in the hall, a nasty voice caught his ears.

"Quick – drive away! Naruto, you accidentally took us to the bastard's house. Let's get out of here before he eats us or something!" The snake felt his stomach turn at the thought of being stuck in a vehicle – or just anywhere in general – with Deidara. Come to think of it, why had they shown up at his place? He just assumed that he and Gaara would take a helicopter.

"Nii-chan. Please don't let your friends say that sort of thing near the house," came the dry voice of Itachi as he leaned forward to pick up the paper.

"They're not my friends," grumbled the young raven, as he dumped his suitcase back on the floor and stomped down the hall. The elder looked up from his newspaper towards the seventeen year old with a pensive expression, and then with a sigh, placed the paper back on the table and followed him to the front door. Holding in a furious roar, Sasuke twisted the knob and forcefully yanked the door open.

"An Audi A8. Nice," said Itachi. Sasuke nodded respectfully to his brother then jogged down to the silver car. Dangling out of the driver seat window was the ferret, who had familiarly cheeky grin spattered on his face.

"Hey bast- I mean Sasuke-sama," the playful yet nasty blond teased, licking his lips. Sasuke slammed his hands on the rim of the car window and leaned forward so that the ferret had to back away. He was disappointed to see Sasori in the passenger seat. Glancing into the backseat, he quickly scanned the contents – there was Tobi closest to him, then Naruto in the middle and Gaara on the end. Somewhat confused, the snake frowned at the fox.

"Ne, Naruto. How do I fit in there?" he asked, slightly concerned that the answer may be 'you don't!' and then they would all drive off laughing. Suddenly a chill ran up his spine as Deidara cupped his hand against the raven's cheek.

"You could snuggle up with me, cutie," he cooed. Tobi and Naruto sniggered at the aghast look on Sasuke's face as he rapidly drew away from the hand.

"Ha, ha, ha, fuck you," Sasori growled, pulling the long-haired blond back into his seat by his shoulder. The redhead then glared at Sasuke as if to say 'he's mine'. "Get your suitcase and put it in the back. We'll find a way to fit you."

"Sasuke." The raven turned around to see his brother holding his large blue suitcase. "I'll see you later." For a long moment, the two Uchihas frowned at each other. Hostile as it seemed, for them it was the same as if they were looking at each other adoringly in a brotherly way. Sasuke reached forward and took the suitcase, his dark eyes still fixed on Itachi's.

"Hn. Later then." A simple nod from Itachi was all that was required or expected to end their goodbyes, and the handsome young man who was destined to inherit all of the Uchiha's assests walked back to the manor, hands in pockets.

"In the back, you homophobe," repeated the taller redhead. The raven sneered to himself as he went round the back of the car and pulled open the boot. Sasori was quiet most of the time, but when he spoke he was just a jerk. At least his cousin was polite. Unable to help himself, he placed his hard-cased bag on the squishy orange one. There was plenty of room in the spacious boot, but the girlish part of the boy didn't want to separate the two symbols representing actual people. It wouldn't be right. Making his way right round to Gaara's side of the car, he pulled the door open with a glare and looked toward his friend.

"Do I sit on your lap?" he asked somewhat bitterly. Gaara snorted, feeling as though the raven's frustration was being directed a little too much toward him. Sasuke's vicious eyes then landed on Naruto, who was sitting comfortably in his seat with a smirk on his lips. "You're being troublesome. Where am I supposed to sit?" Chuckling a little and scrunching his eyes, the fox leaned back with his head resting on his arms.

"If only you were smaller, Sasuke," he said, still laughing. "Then you could fit anywhere you like." Sasori and Deidara sniggered, but Tobi only looked confused.

"Very funny," drawled the snake, narrowing his eyes. "Perhaps I would, but it's too cold with the air conditioning." Now Tobi looked really confused. With a small growl, he squished Gaara along a little and slotted in between him and the door. Feeling a little squashed against the window, Sasuke only hissed when the ferret asked them if they were comfortable, before starting the engine.

"Let's hit the road, folks! Sasuke, is the flux capacitor fluxxing?" Deidara cried, throwing a serious look at the raven behind him.

"Ts," he huffed, blowing a strand of black hair out of his face. Naruto leaned toward the other blond in his seat, resting his elbow on his knee.

"Weapons to maximum," said the fox, raising his eyebrow dramatically.

"Engaging improbability drive!" yelled the ferret, slamming down on the accelerator and sending them hurtling off up the drive. As the pile of sci-fi quotes began to pile up, Sasuke and Gaara both became increasingly grateful that it was only an hour-long journey.

"Where do we go from here, Naruto?" The car rolled quietly across the muddy road. Glinting silver from the highly executive vehicle looked very out of place among the tattered scarecrows in paddy fields. At this time of year, most of the fields were still ponds of water shimmering in the steel sunlight, but across the haze farmers could be seen throwing bundles of rice seedlings into the fields and planting the little sprouts of green in rows through the water. Deidara was squinting through the mist, trying to work out which road took them closest to the lakeshore. The fox leaned forward so his head was between the front seats and pointed to road veering off to the right.

"Head up that one until we get past all the paddy fields and into the forest, where you take the very first right," he said, but all the while scratching his head as though he wasn't sure. The car went smoothly around the bend and crunched across the rocks and mud that had washed onto the road. In the distance there did seem to be a forest.

"From there you follow the road up to a star shaped intersection – take the road at the top left, then take your second right, which is the driveway to the villa." All at once, the people in the car (except Deidara) turned their heads to gawp at the snake who casually finished giving directions. Sighing, Sasuke shifted his weight to relieve the crushing pain on his shoulder. "I've been there a couple of times when I was really small. Not that I really remember what the villa's like, but I looked out the window lots when I was little." The ferret let out a noise that sounded like a balloon letting its air out.

"I don't know whether that's really creepy, or really adorable. Never mind – thanks anyway." The raven didn't smile. They were special and reserved for people who treated him better than Deidara did. Instead he returned his gaze to the paddy fields. Rows and rows of seedlings in the glasslike ponds played tricks on his eyes, making him want to stare at them forever. Anything to distract him from the sickening thought of being more than twenty metres below the surface of a lake in the blackness, struggling to see and to hold his breath, let alone find a little blue pendant. It was his bastard father's fault that he hated water. He was just dropped in the water and expected to swim. No. He was dropped in the water and expected to drown. As the flat landscape changed to forest, everyone squished into the backseat began to squirm, sensing the nearing end to the ride. And the squirming grew more as they went around the roundabout and then as they entered the driveway, going through another lengthy part of the forest.

"Where is the stupid villa?" Tobi groaned. But just as he looked up again, the trees thinned out and a glint of glass and polished wood shone through.

"We're here!" cried the blond fox, unbuckling his seatbelt feverishly and standing up a little.

"Sit down," Gaara drawled, pulling the fox back into his seat. Like a shrine to the modern world in the middle of the wilderness, the steel, ash wood and glass house rested on the lip of the woods, looking out across grass and beach at the seemingly endless lake, whose chilly waters stretched far in all directions. It was a sight that was far different from the one Sasuke could remember, but at the same time it was so familiar. Across from Gaara, he heard Naruto breathe an admiring breath that reflected the feeling of awe he felt as he looked across the water. What it didn't reflect though, was that paralysing fear that seemed to be inhibiting the raven's heartbeat as he saw the dark patch of water that was used for diving. Once again, nothing showed on his face except an almost enraging indifference. Naruto turned to him, his face slightly pink and flustered from being cramped in with three others in the small space.

"What's wrong with you, Sasuke-kun? You look pale."

"I feel a little sick," he murmured, and opened the door just as the car began to slow, jumping out onto the drive and dashing toward the large wooden patio that was sheltered by a fawn coloured sun sail.

"Don't do that – that's dangerous!" roared the fox as the car came to a halt. The lizard next to him unbuckled himself and stepped out as well, taking in a grateful breath of the clean air.

"He jumps out of the car all the time," he said, looking emptily down at the shocked blond. "He doesn't usually get car sick, though." Sasuke had already busied himself in alerting the servants to their presence. They had bused in a day early to prepare the site for the teenagers. The raven was walking around, hands in pockets, just supervising them. Deidara turned around in his seat, giving Tobi and Naruto an exasperated look.

"What is with that guy?" he said, gesturing to the raven. The shorter redhead sighed and began to walk away from the car toward the villa. He didn't like listening to Deidara's judgmental assumptions – particularly not ones about Sasuke. "Seriously," the ferret continued, baring his teeth. "It's like he's too good to be near any of us half the time. The only one he shows interest in is you, Naruto – and like I said: it's to get under your skin. It's like he gets off on having power, and because you're almost as popular he feels strong by being able to get you to do what he wants."

"But Deidara," Naruto growled, his whisker marks becoming jagged, "he's here, isn't he? He's here with people who clearly hate him – by that I mean you three." The other blond snorted.

"All that means is that he's stubborn." Sasori nodded at this, his tired eyes moving from Naruto to his lover.

"You're right. In the fight I think it was more about pride than you, Naruto." The fox pouted and his brow furrowed. "Yes. He's an Uchiha. Have you ever met his father? I don't think the apple falls too far from the tree there – they're both real bastards."

"Oh yeah," said Tobi suddenly. "I've met him at a party once. I didn't talk to him much but he was really intimidating. He hit a maid just because she spilt some wine, and father told me that he treats his subordinates badly too."

"I know!" barked the fox. His bright eyes shone dangerously, flicking between the three of them. Without noticing, he'd also let his teeth grow slightly sharper. "I know the man. Uchiha Fugaku is hell."

"And so you'd expect the kid to be the same," said Tobi, flicking his hand. "Don't try and tell me that the guy who nearly choked me to death and threatened to finish the job is actually 'an okay bloke'. I just won't believe it."

"He only did that because you hurt his feelings!" Naruto snapped, crossing his arms and puffing out his chest. "Sasuke-kun is actually quite sensitive and-"

"Sensitive?" Deidara interrupted with a scoff.

"Uh… guys…" Sasori muttered, tapping the ferret's shoulder.

"That guy's about as sensitive as a bomb shelter. I'm fucking serious, Naruto. You can say all this nice shit about Sasuke but it only contradicts all that bastard's actions. You're probably just going to get burned for even thinking he's on your side. He only cares about himself," the longhaired blond spat out, ignoring the tapping from the taller cousin.

"Ne, Naruto, you'll want ramen for lunch, won't you?" Silence. Sasuke, who was now leaning into the back seat of the car with a bored look on his paper white face, tried again. "They're offering freshwater muscle soup, but I don't think you like it, do you?" The ferret's lips were a tight line as he stared hard into the upholstery by the fox's shoulder. Naruto turned to the snake with an uncomfortable grin.

"Hey – you remembered! I'll have ramen, but you can all have the soup if you want," he said, convincingly jovial. Sasuke shook his head.

"We won't make the cooks make two things – no. We'll all have ramen. That's okay with you guys, isn't it?" The general 'mm' was all he needed. "Oh and Deidara," he said, turning to the other blond with a sneer. "Naruto's right. I am pretty sensitive. If you upset me, you'll know about it."

"Oh shit," muttered the ferret, his words tainted with sarcasm. "My demise is inevitable. You just keep on proving my point, don't you?"

"Ts," snarled the snake, before he whipped around and marched back to the house.

"Now look what you've done!" Naruto groaned, pulling at his hair. "He's my guest too, Deidara. Don't bully him. And," Deidara raised an eyebrow, "and he didn't prove your point – he disproved it by showing thoughtfulness to me, and compassion to the servants. I want him to succeed in finding the pendant. And none of you better interfere!"

_Hey Shika wats up? U must be lonely at home with me n Gaara the lake n with Sakura w Itachi n Okinawa._ Sunbathing was boring for Sasuke. When you can swap between life as a mammal and life as a reptile, then the floaty feeling that normal people get from lying in the sun seems sort of pathetic compared to being a living solar panel. Sunshine beating down on your back most certainly felt nicer if you had scales. Annoyingly, Tobi was there with them and neither he nor Gaara or his cousin could enjoy being cold-blooded. Texting wasn't much fun, either, but it was courteous to Shikamaru, who was at home with his family for the holidays.

_Nm thnx 4 reminding me that my life sux tho… jk._ _Its been pretty gud tho – I finally got a date w tenten. Thnx 4 turning her dwn 4 me. _With a groan, Sasuke tapped a reply into his phone and sent it. Gaara, who was sprawled out next to the raven, looked curiously out one eye.

"Hn. Shikamaru's being a blind idiot again. Either that or a jealous idiot," the black-eyed boy told the lizard, taking a handful of sand and tossing it with a huff.

"Is he going out with Tenten?" asked Gaara, closing his eyes again. Before Sasuke had a chance to reply, he spoke again. "What did you say back?"

"Poor Tenten." As expected, the redhead didn't speak again. All the same, it bothered him a lot.

_Hey look I told u. temaris moved on and she has a bf n evrythng. Ne way y r u txting? Its only like da first day of the holidays -_-' I saw u yesterday_

_Yup sorry… just bored rite nw. we're not doin much. _Not much at all. Sasuke glanced past Gaara to see the other four lying together, murmuring quietly to one another.

_ U xpect me 2 believe dat bullshit Sasuke? Ur on a teenager only holiday a villa by a lake. Ur just nervus ne Sasu-chan?_

_F.U. asshole. Yea im nervus I hav 2 dive 20m n narutos friends r bastards_

_No no u hav it all wrong. Theyre bitches-ur the only real bastard_

_Gud 1 u fuckr. O gtg Narutos here… ttyl -_- _He slid his phone into the pocket of his grey swimming trunks and sat up on his elbows, watching as Naruto – who had recently stood up and walked over to him and Gaara – lowered himself to sit on the beach above their heads. The breath caught a little in Sasuke's throat like it had when the fox had first stepped out in his swimwear. It was tanned skin, chest and stomach for miles in the raven's eyes. Sparkling blue eyes were softer than they ever had been when they rested on the pale boy's dark pools.

"Thought I'd try to desegregate things a little," the straw blond said, radiating at the redhead and the raven. "And I have been texting Neji, who will come to join us for the second week that we're here."

"Really?" chorused the reptiles. Sasuke shot a look of surprise to Gaara, whose mouth slammed shut. Naruto scratched his head and looked down at a pebble, his face an expression of guilt.

"Well, I felt bad because my friends don't really like you. And it's my fault really, for telling them what you're really like." Sasuke's face immediately switched from vague surprise to cold and bitter. "Since Neji thinks you're okay, I decided I should invite him. I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner." Strangely, the whisper of a smile lingered on Gaara's lips. The raven, on the other hand, looked less than happy at Naruto's use of the term 'what you're like really like'. He inhaled deeply, as if he was about to do something akin to parachuting off the Tokyo Tower. Which would be suicide.

"Could you take me to the diving hole now, Naruto?" he rasped with flinching eyes. "I'm determined to find your pendant." The fox blinked, his blue eyes widening slightly.

"You really want to do it?" he asked quietly, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"Well," the raven muttered with a slight smile, "just you talking to me now is more than I ever expected for the rest of our lives – and I really could be happy just with that. And no, I don't really like the idea of getting in the water, let alone doing what you've asked me to do. But you know, if I can retrieve the pendant… then I…" He hesitated; wondering if what he was about to say might sound a little gay. "I could… maybe… retrieve you, too…" An awkward grin appeared on the fox's face.

"Huh. That sounded a little gay… but I know what you meant." Suddenly, a frown manifested itself on the blond's face. "But to be honest, I don't think you can do it when it comes down to it. Because you're devious." Sasuke snarled.

"We'll see then, won't we?" he hissed venomously, making the fox coil back slightly. So albeit reluctantly, Naruto did get up and take the three to the small private boatshed they had a little further down the beach. The others didn't follow – Deidara and Sasori knew where they were going and had to keep Tobi away. It would probably upset him if he knew that all his friends had superpowers and he was the only one that wasn't able to transform into animals. So the three went to the boatshed alone and pulled open the flaky wooden door to reveal a collection of shiny sailboats, a bunch of canoes, a jetboat, crusty old life jackets, water skis and other sporty gear, and an old raft that came with an equally decrepit paddle. Checking that they didn't squish any spiders, Gaara and Naruto each grabbed an end of the very large raft and Sasuke took the middle. With a great heave and a lot of falling sand, pebbles and dust, the heavy frame was lifted off the wooden floorboards and they carried it, crablike, out the door. There was a clattering thud as it fell heavily onto the beach. Sasuke felt quite impressed, looking the old vessel up and down. It was a beautiful raft, actually. The rust-brown wood was so smooth that it wouldn't give you a splinter, but grainy enough to be able to stand on without slipping. The boards were slotted together tightly, and it was hard to imagine that even water would leak down if it got wet. It was big too – enough for a group of teens to mess around on. Large, colourful barrels to keep it afloat were skillfully bound to the underside of the craft giving it two long feet on each side of its body. When Naruto came back out with the paddle, they turned the raft around so it faced the water. Then with a hefty push, it slid down the beach to greet the water, leaving two thick lines in the sand.

"We've got to paddle it over to there. It's a little difficult, but we can attach it to the buoy when we get there and leave it there for the next two weeks," said the fox with bristly hair, pointing over to the dark patch in the lake. It wasn't very far out, but it was at least ten metres to their right. Probably, it would be a pain to paddle out to.

"W-wait," Sasuke stuttered, after a moment or so of staring out at the white buoy in the middle of that huge dark patch. Naruto turned to him with an annoyed pout. "You mean that… we have to swim to get to and from the raft?"

"Yeah," said Naruto with a sneer. "You have to swim out a whole fifteen metres."

"That's far, dobe," the raven hissed back, though he was completely wrong.

"Then take a canoe and haul it onto the pontoon raft. Now climb on, you two. I'll give you a push." Legs shaking and heart rate swiftly climbing, Sasuke pulled himself onto the craft and scuttled into the center straight away, clinging to the boards like a cat. Gaara climbed up after him, sat down beside the shivering raven and gingerly wrapped an arm around him. At this point, the irritable part of the dark-haired boy had to fight not to lash out at his friend for treating him like a baby. But he didn't. In his lashing out he might go to far and be pushed in the water. Well, from Gaara it was unlikely, but there was a slim possibility blown out of proportion in Sasuke's mind. "Are you ready?"

"Hn," murmured the snake. The vessel began to rock as it slid further off the sand and further into the water. With a clatter, the paddle landed on the wood, and with a grunt from Naruto, the raft slid right off the beach and the fox leapt on after it.

"You gonna go into fetal position every time we do this, Sasuke-kun?" he asked, as they began to float away from the beach on the iron lake waters.

"Will you stop calling me Sasuke-kun?" snapped the raven all of a sudden, as Naruto pushed the oar through the water. The fox glared at him for a moment through his ice chip blue eyes, before returning his attention to paddling the raft, shifting from one side to the other. Sasuke let out a small, but shuddering breath. He wasn't a willing participant in fear. Gently brushing away Gaara's arm, he slowly pulled himself to his feet, his toes digging in hard to keep his balance.

"Good work," his friend told him, standing up as support. Heart throbbing painfully in his chest, the raven clapped a panicky hand on the redhead's shoulder. Yet despite the terror and the voice in his mind screaming for him to return to shore, his strong black eyes were determined. It was hard to notice his shaking knees.

"Naruto," he murmured, shooting the semi-ferocious eyes the fox's way. "Hurry up."

"Che," snorted Naruto, scooping more water and propelling closer to the spot. "It's not as easy as it looks, teme. I'm going as fast as I can." Breathing heavily, Sasuke forced an annoyed look to fall across his face to stop the fear leaking through and crossed his arms. It was like this that the raven stood, almost statue-like, all the way to the buoy. "Nearly there." The small buoy bumped the raft pontoons with a hollow ring. The fox ran to the edge and leaned over the side to wrap his arms around it, all the while beckoning to Gaara to secure them with the rope. Slowly, Sasuke inched forward with his feet, toward the other side raft. He sank to his knees as he came within a foot of the water, and peered down into the now black water. That's all it was. Black water. Over twenty metres cubed of black water that he was going to have to become very familiar with if he were ever to be with Naruto again. He swallowed the remaining and fast evaporating saliva in his mouth as his stomach began to churn.

"Don't panic when you're in the water. You won't be able to swim," came Gaara's dry voice over the raven's shoulder.

"Hn." Sasuke bit his lip. Was this what people felt like when they stared at him? The black water gazed up at him. Cold. Uninviting. Terrifying. Cruel. The longer he looked, the more unbearable it became. Suddenly, a wave of memories washed over him, immediately followed up by a tsunami of emotions that came with those experiences. "I can't do this. I'll drown in there." He could hear the disappointment in Gaara's sigh, and it stang. But what came from Naruto was just so much worse. Disgust.

"I thought so," he snarled. Reaching forward and grabbing the raven's shoulder, the blond easily pulled him away from the edge. Sasuke flinched as he was met with the repulsion in the boy's eyes. Naruto sneered. "Don't you know the pendant only glows for the brave? You're so pathetic, teme. You always treated people like they're so far beneath you. But look at you now! You're a coward. You're weak!" he barked, shoving Sasuke though he was still on the floor. The boy with dark eyes only lowered his head to stare at his chest.

"Hn. I know that, dobe," he growled softly, his hair hanging around his inclined head. "I'm a coward. But I thought maybe this time… I could be more like you."

"Bullshit!" the fox roared. He lunged forward onto the raven grabbed his bare white shoulders, forcing Sasuke to give him eye contact. Gaara hissed and grabbed Naruto's waist, trying to pull him away with a grunt. For only a moment, Sasuke's lonely eyes clashed with the glacier blue orbs and it sent a pang straight to the snake's heart. The fox yelped as he was pulled away by the redhead and landed on his butt. "All that matters to you is taking what matters to me – and then breaking it!" This was it. This was the expired data that needed to be proved wrong. Sasuke knew that it was the root of everything. His eyes narrowed, still panting heavily. For once, he just wanted people to see him for who he was, not for who he used to be. He wasn't the weak, cowardly, and jealous bully that he once was. As obvious as it was to Gaara and Shikamaru and Sakura and Itachi, it wasn't to others. Not even himself. So how could he let this chance to prove himself drop?

"People aren't just two dimensional pictures, dobe. I had my reasons for stealing from you, even if it was cruel and unfair. You know I wouldn't do that again," he muttered, climbing steadily to his feet. "You really are an idiot." Mouth hanging open, the fox stared as the raven turned to the water, the fear either gone or very well hidden. Just jump in.

"Sasuke!" Water sprayed into the air as Sasuke through himself toward what he feared.

Being swamped in darkness wasn't as terrifying with closed eyes. As his ears began to feel funny when his legs propelled him forward, the raven squeezed his nose and exhaled sharply. With a squeak, they seemed to return to normal. All he could feel was the cold water rushing past him, rapidly cooling as he descended further, and this strange sensation that felt like he was flying. Was this what it felt like to swim? That weightless feeling only made him queasy. With plenty of air still in his lungs, Sasuke began to transform. His kicking legs grew black scales and quickly fused to form a smooth tail, and his arms disappeared into his sides as his snake morphing sequence finished. Now he had no choice to open his eyes as he shot like a wriggling ribbon deeper into the pit. But with every metre he descended, it grew darker and his body wailed from him to resurface. Strangely though, he didn't crave air. Perhaps he was safe for now. The green tinge in the water was quickly fading to black, but occasionally there would be a flicker of pearlescent scales. His highly sensitive scales kept picking up on slight fluctuations of water current and vibrations, like something was following him. He glanced feverishly behind him, but there was nothing there except an ever-shrinking square of light. Suddenly he felt a slapping pain as he swam into a rock. Pulling his body away, Sasuke felt more pain shoot through him. The rock was a sharp one. How on earth was he going to search with all the obstacles he couldn't see? And how was he going to find it if he wasn't considered brave by the pendant, and it didn't light for him?

Letting his body rise up about a metre, he swam along the bottom, scanning the floor with his eyes. It was so dark. Unless the pendant ended up in a hole, then surely it'd be really easy to spot when he came across it. He'd just have to hope that he could hold his breath long enough to scan the entire base of the pit. And of course, there was the possibility that it was on the walls of the pit somewhere. There was no blue glow anywhere near him. To be honest, the spookiness of the inky black was almost as terrifying as the imminent thought that went over and over in the snake's mind – you're going to drown. You're going to drown right here, at the bottom of this pit. Even watching films with people drowning normally freaked the guy out. If he wasn't so talented at focusing, the thought probably would've driven him back to the surface. But wouldn't it be great if he could find it now? His eyes stuck to the floor like glue.

"You didn't drown?" the patriarch asked with a sneer. "How putridly stubborn you are. That's not strength, boy. But I can't really ever expect someone like you to understand the meaning of strength."

It had already been half an hour, and Sasuke hadn't resurfaced. Naruto looked shocked, as though he'd just sent someone to his grave. Several times, he dived into the water and looked down into the black as though he'd be able to spot something that was as dark as the pit itself. Every time he resurfaced and clambered back onto the deck, Gaara only sighed and shook his head at the dripping blond. On the beach, Deidara, Sasori and Tobi were still sunbathing. But something was clearly wrong on the raft, and even the boys who knew what was happening were getting a little nervous. How long could a snake hold its breath for, exactly?

_Where is it?_ The words tore through the snake as rapidly as he tore through the water. Forever ago, he left the safety of land and plunged into this abyss. And it felt like there were eyes watching him everywhere, and he was attached to a timer that was counting down the time he had – only he couldn't read it. The longer he spent down there, the more terrified and panicky he became. His heart was positively racing, as his eyes shot along the black lakebed. This really was impossible. He was never going to find it. Sasuke's eyes shifted to the left sadly, not expecting to see anything. But suddenly, a shimmer in the corner of his eye caused his heart to leap and he whipped toward it. Then when he saw it properly, he wished he hadn't. The glowing was a round, glistening eye. Looking at him. His body fell limp as cold terror overtook him. The creature opened its mouth slowly, revealing a nasty row of spikes. Not daring enough to look away, the snake retraced its path. The creature swam forward a few inches, its mouth dropping even wider. An oily sheen on the things skin caught the snake's eye and he realised it was an eel. For a minute, Sasuke was relieved. It was just an eel. But then he remembered. He was a snake. And that was a big eel. It was bigger than him, and it was eyeing him up as a snack. Snake snack. Suddenly, the eel lunged toward him with mad eyes. Sasuke didn't hesitate and darted out of the way of the thing's mouth and sped through the water. Vibrations he was picking up in the water alerted him to the fact that the eel was still on his tail. And just as if to make matters worse, the poor human in the body of a snake was already exhausted, miserable and starting to want air again. But in this straight-line chase, as he sped blindly away from the thing that was slowly gaining on him, it was too dangerous for him to change direction. If he shortened his path in any way, the creature would have him. There was only one option, but it was risky as well. Fast as a flash, Sasuke twisted his body around, doing a full one-eighty degree turn. Then, he bared his fangs and thrust them into the face of the eel, injecting venom into the wound he'd made in its eye and lip. A small feeling of contempt found its way to the snake's chest as the predator suddenly tore itself away from and twisted up, writhing in agony, before freezing in a coil and sinking down in the deep. It wasn't dead, but it would be soon. It was the neurotoxin that caused the eel to stop moving. Sasuke was slightly surprised at how much higher he'd gotten – he was at least five metres above the bottom now. Floating in the dark. A chilling sensation ran through his spine as the adrenaline of the short chase lingered within him. He was alone in the dark. In the water. Unable to breathe, see, hear, and with no pendant. But he was too tired to continue searching. Fear had drained him dry. So with a heart like a lump of bitter ice in his chest, he looked up and swam back toward the light of the afternoon. Just as he was about to break the surface, he let his body return to human form. Now his lungs felt even emptier, and as the handsome young raven burst out of the water by the raft, he was gasping like a carp.

"G… get me out of here!" he yelled, forgetting how to swim with limbs. Two sets of arms grabbed him and hauled the somewhat light Uchiha out of the water and dropped his dripping body onto the wooden planks. "Fuck!" he screamed, slamming a fist into the raft. Gaara instantly fell to his knees and crawled to his young friend, putting a hand on his back.

"You are safe," the lizard stated, wrapping a towel around the snake's shivering shoulders. Naruto had had the courtesy to swim back to shore and then bring back a towel and a canoe. But now, the fox didn't even have the courtesy to ask Sasuke if he was alright. In a way, Naruto was in shock. In his chest his heart had slowed to a nauseating pace as he looked down at the pale, trembling body below him. And he could only stare confusedly into the boy's coal eyes, as Sasuke looked him with misery and devastation.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I couldn't find it… and I… I don't think I can go back down there again. But I will," the raven stuttered, barely caring if he contradicted himself. The fox shook his head, but could say nothing. What he was feeling now was stronger than anything he'd felt in a while. It was gladness – not only that Sasuke was safe, but that in the end, the snake wasn't just a hideous reptile full of venom and out to cause misery to those he'd call his friends. Stepping around Gaara and tucking his arms around the raven's head and legs, he hoisted him up and lifted him into the canoe. "What are you doing?" Sasuke asked, a small blush falling across his face. For someone who was supposed to have been brave on this day, Sasuke was quickly beginning to feel pathetic again. Hopefully the blond wouldn't notice that his chest was pounding as he was held against the tanned chest then let gently into the seat of the canoe.

"I have something to show you," the fox replied, his gruff voice abnormally quiet.

"What is it, dobe?" growled the raven, turning away sharply. He didn't like that the fox's dripping hair and the way he was being so gently handled was making his stomach fill with butterflies. Suddenly, as Naruto reached into the pocket of his swimming trunks, Gaara let out a small gasp. Sasuke didn't dare look, but he felt the cool and familiar weight of the long stone in his hand. Closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, the cocktail of emotions flowed straight through the stone and into his chest. "You… you asshole!" yelled the snake, as he shot around to punch the grinning fox in the face. But his hand paused just before the moron's cheek, and with an exasperated sigh, he let it drop.

"Don't be upset, Sasuke," the blond told him, his friendly grin broadening, as he pulled the blue pendant out of the raven's hand and put it around his own neck. "You stubborn bastard. You're going to get what you want." Sasuke's mouth fell open slightly as he stared up at beautiful Naruto. A trickle of water channeled by his fringe dripped down onto the fox's hand. It wasn't a teardrop, but it was close.

**Jeez Naruto, you really are a miser. Never trust a crafty fox :P WELL it's great that Sasuke got the pendant right at the beginning of the holidays, because there's room for a whole lot more drama, action, fluff (lol) later in their holz. ANd maybe other stuff but i'm not telling you cos it's a secret . SO i'll update soon!**

**Oh someone asked me when Orochimaru will be appearing - i can't tell you too much except that it'll be a very major part of the story. Which is why I can't tell you too much :D Spoilers suck.**


	7. Thinning Blood

**FINALLY wow this is really the longest chapter so far by a lot. Sorry that it took such a long time, but this time of year is just spazzing in my face... drama production next week and exams and writing... Too much... So about the chapter - I actually edited it this time (and i edited the last chapter and updated it sorry for not editing toute de suite) and lots happens. This chapter needed to incorporate the rest of the two week holiday, and there is just so much tension it's insane. Please don't throttle me for updates cos I really am working very hard at the moment.**

7 – Thinning Blood

Civil war. Sasuke gazed wearily out the window and watched as the aerial acrobats dive-bombed one another in an all out war to occupy the tiny perch. The sparrows would grip onto the plastic stand and take a few quick beakfuls of the nutritious seed while snapping their heads back and forth. Suddenly, a brown blur of feathers would flap them off and take over the prime feeding spot. And only a few seconds later, this one would be sent rocketing away as the were smashed off by the beating wings of another. At times, the poor plastic feeder would be shaking violently at the centre of the dogfights. Smaller birds gripped dangling vines that were hanging from the garden arch, waiting for a chance to sneak in without putting it up to the noisier ones. Miserable creatures. All of them.

It was only yesterday that the group had arrived at the lake, and the snake had already managed to dive down and prove himself worthy of the fox's friendship. Naruto had been so excited once they returned to the villa. He wanted to stay up with Sasuke all night, catching up on all the good times that they had both missed with each other. However the raven went straight to bed after eating dinner all alone in his room. It wasn't because of the filthy looks he kept receiving from Sasori and Tobi, or the petty swipes from Deidara that sent him to bed, though. To put it in the simplest terms, he was totally worn out. The world seemed to be spinning around him for the remainder of the afternoon, and even when the entire group all sat out in the garden until dinner, Sasuke only sat in expressionless silence. But when he tried to sleep that night, it just wasn't working for him. Because that image – one he'd be dreaming of for so long – was real now. The way Naruto had looked with that pendant hanging from his neck to Sasuke was… godlike. The raven wasn't generally interested in touching himself. But the cold shower wasn't making it go away.

So the next morning the raven was sitting on the window seat in self-disgust. Just sitting in the hall, waiting for the servants to call them down for breakfast. It was only six thirty in the morning, though. Breakfast wasn't going to be ready until nine. And it was at six that his bare feet made contact with the chilled spring grass as he crept out to the back garden with the birdseed and a bucket of water. Jeans rolled up his shins; he took the bird feeder from the archway and sat at the top of the lawn with his bucket and bare feet and shitty feeder. He scrubbed it clean as the sunrays began to reach like fingers stretching into the dull sky, illuminating the fluffy white clouds. A smile crept across his face as the swishing water caught some of that radiant orange light. The first sunrise he'd ever seen was when he turned six. He and Naruto were so excited about a gift Sasuke had been given by his mother on his birthday – a mechanical train that ran on rails – that they stayed up all night long, playing in the garden and the treetops.

"Sasuke," Naruto had whispered, as the red sun began to pour over the hills, "we'll be together forever. We're even better friends than bestest friends."

"Dobe. You can't be better friends than best friends," Sasuke had muttered in reply, frowning at the boy.

The raven sighed as the wind ran gentle hands through his hair. As often as he wished he could change time, he knew it was impossible. Powerless. He was powerless as time changed him into a different person. Just the fact that positive memories were making him bitter made him snort in self-hatred. Glaring menacingly at the sunrise, and totally unaware of how the pinks and oranges swam in his black eyes, he sloshed the feeder out of the bucket and poured in a sea of seeds, screwing the lid back on tightly. He hung the birdfeeder back on the rusty nail and emptied the bucket into a bush, before stomping damply back indoors.

The sun was well up when the birds discovered their breakfast, and it warmed their feathery backs even as they fought over the food. But if one of them had glanced up to see the cold, intimidating man staring down at them from the window, they would've frozen solid and fallen out of the air with a loud clunk.

"Sasuke?" The raven looked over his shoulder to see Gaara tiptoeing around the corner. Only in his boxers, the boy was just making a quick trip to check on his friend. He wasn't expecting to find Sasuke sitting out in the hall. "Are you okay?" he asked, taking a few awkward steps closer. The snake narrowed his eyes.

"Yes. Do I look sick?"

"No," Gaara replied, looking slightly relieved. Sasuke put down his legs to give the lizard room to sit with him. As they sat together in the crisp morning light, the redhead regarded the raven with suspicious eyes. "You've been outside," he stated, gesturing to Sasuke's grassy feet and damp pants.

"Hn. There's no fooling you, is there, Gaara?" he muttered, turning his gaze to the sparrows. "I know what you're thinking – that I should be happy that Naruto has decided to accept me. And of course, I should be happy that his attitude is so supportive." Sasuke paused, waiting for the redhead to object to or affirm his assumption, but Gaara only watched. "And I am, obviously. But… I don't want to just be his friend. I just don't know what to do."

"You feel powerless," said the lizard, patting the snake gently on the back of his white shirt. "It doesn't matter. Worry about that later."

"But…" Sasuke shot back to Gaara with a glare. "I want some control for once. Going with the flow… that's just not me at all."

"You aren't weak," Gaara said, holding in a very deep sigh. Too often they had had this discussion. "And power is overrated. You hold too much faith in your father's words."

"Ts!" hissed Sasuke, scrunching up his nose in disgust. "I don't listen to that bastard. What the fuck, Gaara?"

"Yes you do," the redhead contradicted. "Just be with Naruto. You'll be happy soon."

As Gaara left Sasuke alone on the window seat again and the sun climbed higher in the sky, the raven found his lids growing heavy again. Maybe Gaara was right. There was no use dreading what would come of all this. He was being a little like Shikamaru; worrying about what'd happen if things didn't go the way he wanted. Confess.

"Are you asleep?" Sasuke's eyelids fluttered open to see a blurry orange and yellow figure leaning over his face. The raven blinked. Naruto's smile burnt into his retina as the now brilliant sun reflected off his olive skin, and his hair shone gold like straw in the summer. His cute whisker marks curved the shape his cheeks made as he grinned down. "I was looking for you."

"Hn," Sasuke grumbled, blocking his eyes from the light with the back of his hand. "Dobe. I haven't gone anywhere."

"Right. I knew that. But aren't you the dobe? You have a room, you know. You don't have to sleep out here."

"Ts," Sasuke muttered, pulling away his hand to frown at the smirking fox. "I didn't spend the whole night here. And I wasn't asleep, anyway."

"Okay, well just so you know that you have a room. Hey I had a good idea last night." The raven raised an eyebrow at the pride on the playful boy's face.

"Oh really?" he drawled, sitting up and rolling his jeans back down his chilly legs.

"Really, teme," Naruto drawled back mockingly. "I was thinking we should celebrate for the New Sasuke!" Brushing down his shirt and pulling himself swiftly to his feet, Sasuke sent a venomous glare towards the innocent and well-meaning blond.

"Nani, Naruto? Usuratonkachi!" He crossed his arms irritably as the fox's bottom lip began to droop. "Firstly; there's only one me and that's that. Secondly; a celebration where we play 'everybody hates Sasuke' is contradictory. Face it – I hate your friends as much or more than they hate me."

"What? They don't h-" Naruto began to insist, but the snake shot him down with a single cynical sneer. "Well… that's because they only know about the Old Sasuke. But I knew the Old Old Sasuke, so they don't see it the same as I do."

"Usuratonkachi…" he grumbled again, trying to think of a worse idea than celebrating with those apes.

"Then how about this – let's just you and me celebrate." A spark of delight appeared in the fox's blue eyes as Sasuke paused. Even if only fractionally, his half lidded eyes seemed to widen. "That sounds like fun, doesn't it? How about we celebrate at the end of the holidays? We can hang out and I'll bring a bag of tomatoes or something." The raven's lips tightened as he looked darkly toward the puddles of sapphire. Narrowing his eyes didn't seem to wipe away the smile on the blond's face.

"Hn," he sighed, gazing away forlornly. "If you want."

"Good. The last Saturday then," the fox said, his smile fading as the raven let out another sigh. "What's wrong, Sasuke? You should be happy."

"Ts. You sound like Gaara," said the snake, smiling slightly at Naruto. "I just want things to work out."

"Oh, so you're worried…" the blond said, placing a thoughtful finger on his lips. Sasuke's face flushed.

"Nothing like that! Dobe!" he cried, glowering at the laughing boy.  
>"Sasuke, you're so funny. I missed you so much." The blood returned to his face faster than it had left.<p>

"Yeah, you too…" mumbled Sasuke, who was now as red as a tomato. "I have to get into some dry clothes." Whipping away from the blond as fast as he could, he whisked off down the hall.

As time passed, and the greatness of his achievement began to fully dawn on him, Sasuke's mood seemed to lift. Not that he was getting along with Deidara better. Actually that was considerably worse now, because the snake found his forked tongue again, much to his delight. Naruto was also making a noticeable effort to spend time with Gaara and Sasuke as well, though he spent most of it with the others. It didn't take long for the ferret to discover Sasuke's hydrophobia, and every day after he'd keep suggesting they go swimming. In response to this, the raven would bribe the fox with a ramen picnic he 'prepared himself' to keep him on the shore. Naruto had, in effect, become a human MacGuffin. Not that he seemed to mind at all.

"Ne, Sasuke. Spending lots of money isn't going to make him ditch his friends," Gaara said, cradling an armful of magazines and a worried expression. "This is too much."

"Here," Sasuke muttered, putting his arms around the magazines and lifting them into his own arms. "I'll just go buy these." The redhead inhaled deeply as the raven took the pile to the counter as the convenience store owner looking hungrily at the wad of cash on top.

"Sasuke," he called, glaring at the back of the bastard's head. "I am losing the will to live."

"Just these, Gaara, I promise," replied Sasuke reassuringly, as hauled them back off the counter in a canvas shopping bag. Straining, he put them over his shoulder and walked back to Gaara and they left the shop. "He got excited when Deidara lent him a National Geographic magazine, but now he can have some of his own."

"I don't think he reads 'Vogue'," drawled the lizard, as they walked around a puddle on the dirt road.

"Ts. I don't know what magazines he reads. That's why I got one of each," Sasuke said, shifting the bag's weight on his shoulder. Gaara snorted quietly to himself. Frankly, he'd have preferred to be swimming with the others right now, not helping Sasuke suck up to Naruto. It actually just about made him sick to see the raven behaving like this, but he knew he'd have to put up with it for his friend's sake. At least for a little while. Wrapped up in his thoughts, Gaara kept walking, as the other seemed to pause next to him and look over his shoulder. All by himself, he continued around the corner.

"Sasuke-kun?"

"Hyuga… when did you get here?" Sasuke asked, staring at the brunet with white, pupiless eyes who had just stepped out of the information center. Meanwhile, Gaara just about swore when he realised that the bastard was gone.

"What is with him?" he growled, turning around and stomping back around the corner. "No way…" he stumbled backwards as his friend came back into view. That guy who always seemed to want to talk to him was there. His chest tightened with his mouth as his eyes widened slightly as Neji waved a lazy hand toward him. It wasn't that he didn't like being talked to or anything, but talking to this guy in particular wasn't very pleasant.

"G-Gaara," Neji said to the perplexed redhead, folding his arms. "Been a while, hasn't it?" Glancing between them, Sasuke detected the tension right away. The taller coughed and turned to the raven once again. "I arrived ten minutes ago, but Sasori said you'd gone to the shop so I decided to look for you and maybe get a map of the area to see if there were any good walks around here. Sasori didn't seem to want to come with me, though." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Of course he wouldn't. We're just heading back to the house now," he told him, gesturing to the brunet to walk and talk. Seeing this, Gaara huffed and started walking as well, though he hadn't waited for them to catch up. He could talk to Neji when he was in a better mood.

"What's in the bag?"

"Ts. Magazines," Sasuke told him, pulling the bag off his shoulder and showing Neji the huge stack of glossy paper. "They're for Naruto."

"Uh," muttered the brunet, not quite sure what to make of that, "okay then."

When the trio made it back to the villa it was nearly lunchtime, and a trail of smoke was twisting its way into the grey sky like a serpent from the beach. Not bothering to stop off at the house to put away the magazines, they headed straight for the lakeshore with Gaara leading.

"Nice," Neji said with a small smile. "Very European." Stumbling forward, Sasuke tried to pick up into a run. It wouldn't show on his face, but he was getting girlish tingles at the thought of Naruto's face when he made his offering. Sitting in a semi circle around the beach bonfire were the others, dripping with lake water and wielding sausages impaled on sticks.

"Oh look. It's the slime bucket," Deidara moaned, as Sasuke jogged down the hill and up to Naruto, who was sitting in a beach chair wrapped in an orange towel. The snake glared at the ferret.

"Slime? You'd know all about that, you ass-licking moron," he hissed, clenching his fists. Deidara snorted, then pulled his arm around Sasori's shoulder.

"Don't fight or I'll kick both your asses!" growled the fox, baring his fangs warningly at the pair. The raven sighed and turned back to the blond with a frown, dumping the magazines unceremoniously on the ground in front of him.

"Here. These are for you." Naruto tilted his head at Sasuke.

"You know you can stop giving me stuff, right?" he said, both worried and flattered by the size of the canvas bag sitting in front of his feet.

"Hn." Shaking his head, Naruto reached forward and pulled it open.

"Sasuke…" the fox began, running an exasperated hand down his face. "You're really weird. Couldn't you have gotten me one magazine, not fifty?"

"I don't know which one to get you," he huffed, leaning over and fishing through the girly magazines down to the sports magazines. "What else was I supposed to do, dobe?"

"Well maybe you could've chosen one and given me that, rather than giving me the whole store's worth." Eyes turning thunderous, Sasuke began to sneer.

"I don't see what you're problem is. It was really nice of me to go out and buy those for you. Usuratonkachi," he snarled.

"I'm not saying it wasn't nice. It was just weird, is all," the fox told him, not wanting to flare the snake's temper any more than he already had.

"Hey Sasuke," Tobi called from across the fire. "You need to cool down, so have one of these." Unnoticed by the raven, a cool box had been sitting on the ground between Tobi and the taller lizard, and the boy swept a chilled beer bottle out of the box and chucked it over the bonfire toward Sasuke, who had no trouble catching it.

"Ts," he hissed, sitting down heavily on an empty beach chair, not realising that it was Gaara's who had gotten up to grab a sausage, or that Neji had made a move to sit in it, or that the hostile three had set up the chairs so that Sasuke would have to sit on the ground. Easily removing the cap from the bottle from his teeth and taking a large chug, he glowered around at the rest of the party.

"Dude… you didn't even break a sweat," Tobi said, staring at the raven in awe.

"Hn. Just like in our fight, ne Tobi," he said, taking another sip.

"Fuck you," growled the older raven, making Deidara chuckle next to him. Neji, who had moved to sit in the sand with Gaara groaned.

"Has it been like this the whole time with those guys?" he asked Naruto, tugging his towel. The fox rolled his eyes in confirmation.

"Pretty much." Sasuke pushed the bottle to his lips again and drained the last of the beer, before tossing his empty golden shell to the side. Naruto turned to him with a snarl, pointing furiously at the litter. "Are you gonna pick that up, teme?" The snake gave him a gormless look.

"Not yet, dobe. Are there any more?" The blond blinked.

"Seriously, Sasuke? Have a sausage and some bread," he told him grumpily, thrusting him some food. As lunch continued, it became apparent that adolescent men could not sustain themselves on only one or two sausages, so most of the group ended up returning to the villa and scouring the cupboards (and putting away magazines). But Neji had eaten on the trip and he and Gaara reclaimed some empty seats, taking advantage of the temporary absence. And an amazing coincidence, too – Deidara and Sasuke caught each other searching for more alcohol down in the cellar.

"Hey bastard – what's that in your hand?" Biting his tongue to stop himself hissing, the raven took a quick step backward, tucking the whisky behind his back. The ferret took three more even closer, his visible eye narrowing. "I'm not going to steal it, you hideous freak."

"What are you talking about? You're a nasty little rodent!" spat Sasuke, feeling the brunt of the insult in his chest.

"Ferrets are mustelids, actually. Isn't Haruno a mouse? You really are harsh on your friends," sniggered the blond, turning to a bottle rack and running his finger along an empty groove. "So you took the whisky. Good choice. Let's take it to the beach."

"I wasn't going to take it – I was just looking," the raven lied, carefully walking around Deidara and returning the bottle. Letting out a sarcastic laugh, he snatched it back, pushing Sasuke away.

"Don't be like that. We can have a beach party." With that said, the snake shrugged and let the maniac carried the bottle up the stairs. Just as long as he could push blame onto Deidara if need be. Just in case one bottle wasn't enough, Sasuke took another and followed the ferret back to the beach. Met with roaring laughter from Tobi and Naruto and expressions between boredom and exasperating from the other three, the dark-haired boy tore out the cork and took a swig straight from the bottle.

"Yeah Sasuke – you the man!" Tobi cried, still laughing. "How do you do that?" Unfortunately for the taller dark-haired boy, Sasuke's party mode wasn't magically friendly.

"Are you blind? I just pulled it out, you moron," he said coldly, pushing the bottle toward Naruto. The fox grinned mischievously.

"It's only one o'clock. My Dad would kill me if he knew we were doing this at this time of the day."

"Same," the others chorused. After taking a drink himself, the tanned blond gave the bottle to Neji who had taken his seat. The white-eyed boy turned to Gaara, taking a somewhat flirtatious sip from the bottle before offering it to him.

"S-sure," muttered the boy with brick-red hair, taking the bottle. Sasuke stared down at his friend, about to ask furiously why the lizard was suddenly drinking alcohol. But it was the smile on the brunet's lips as his eyes locked with Gaara's that stopped him.

Midday progressed into afternoon, and the level of the bottle was near empty. Naturally, the two boys who had found the drinks were the ones who had drunk the most by this time, but it was Gaara who had the least tolerance.

"Neji," drawled the snake, grabbing the brunet's arm a little too tightly. "You… need to look after Gaara. Can you do that for me?" he asked him, his black eyes uncharacteristically pleading.

"Uh…" The high tolerance, sensible young man scratched his head with an uncomfortable chuckle. "Sure. But who's looking after you?"

"Usually Gaara," replied Sasuke, very seriously. Neji nodded slowly.

"Right." The raven nodded back, before walking around the fire (which they didn't apparently see as a hazard even with stumbling drunks) to where Naruto was sitting with Deidara, talking happily about something or other.

"Move, Hokuto," he mumbled at Deidara, tripping a little on solid air. "You've talked to him all afternoon."

"No I haven't, bastard. I only just sat down," said the drunken ferret, combing his fringe with his fingers.

"Hey Deidara!" Sasori called, cutting in front of the raven's rant. The taller redhead was down the by the water, waving at his boyfriend with a rare grin. "Let's go out to the raft!"

"Yay!" cried the longhaired blond, completely forgetting about arguing with Sasuke. As Deidara bounced away, the snake proceeded to steal his seat and spin around to the cuter blond – well at least Naruto was cuter in the raven's opinion. To his annoyance, the fox's sad eyes were on the other blond as he hopped off to join Sasori and Tobi.

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke in an unneeded attempt to regain Naruto's attention.

"What?" huffed the fox with a pout. "You're so rude."

"Ts." For a minute, the raven frowned at his friend, trying to remember what he was meant to say. "You've got a very nice chest under that pendant," he told him, as all tact flew out the window. Naruto blushed and looked down at the blue stone resting on his warm skin.

"Gay," he giggled, punching Sasuke gently in the arm. "That… was kind of a gay thing to say to another guy."

"Do you like it when I say gay things to you, Naruto?" asked the raven, leaning in with a spoony look on his face. The fox leaned in as well, cupping Sasuke's cheek jokingly.

"You know it, my dear," he whispered, gazing bravely into the raven's lustful eyes.

"I want to taste your cock," drawled the snake, inching forward enough to touch the fox's nose with his.

"Okay that's enough," Naruto breathed, moving quickly back into his seat. Perhaps that would've been funny if Sasuke didn't always seem to have a straight face. When he looked up at the dark-eyed boy again he was smirking.

"Nah. Not really," he chuckled. Not something he would usually say drunk or otherwise. "No need to look so worried."

"Uh…" The fox scratched his head, feeling bewildered by the alcohol. "I'm going to put out the fire. Look – Neji and Gaara are going to the raft. Why don't you join them?" he suggested, hoping it wouldn't seem like he was trying to get rid of him.

"Ts. Usuratonkachi. I'm not a fish – I hate swimming," he told him, sneering over at the lake.

"Well I'm going out too when I've put out the fire, so you'll be all alone," replied Naruto with concerned eyes.

"Be alone with me," mumbled Sasuke, putting a floppy hand on the fox's arm. "I don't want to go onto the water." Naruto pulled his mouth to one side in a pensive manner.

"You're drunk. You can do anything when you're drunk," he finally said, standing up from his chair.

"This is all true," said the snake with a slight frown. "Okay I'll go out on the canoe with Gaara." Suddenly the fox grinned cheesily down toward the beach.

"Oh look," he cooed, as Sasuke turned to see. "They're waiting for you." With the fear in his chest of drowning diminished by the drink, and the chances of it happening increased by the drink, the raven clumsily tried to walk coolly down to the waterfront and awkwardly yet smoothly entered the canoe.

"If you fall in," Gaara told him, his slanted eyes dripping with boredom, "I will kill you." Head drooping forward, the snake hiccupped as Neji pushed off from the beach and the redhead waded through the water (he was now in his swimming trunks) and climbed onto the nose of the canoe. The boat rocked in the water as the brunet jumped in behind Sasuke. Dark eyes searching the still shallow water as the canoe pushed forward, the raven whimpered. Why was he doing this again? Gentle sloshes of water patting the side of the canoe combined with the slightly topsy turvy perception Sasuke currently had of the world almost put him to sleep, until the boat bumped sharply into the wood of the raft, and Tobi and Sasori immediately lifted out Gaara. Shocked by the sudden change in angle, the raven rolled back into Neji, but the brunet calmly took the boy under the arms and with help from the other dark-haired boy, he was lifted onto the damp deck.

"Don't get my clothes wet," he mumbled, pushing away the dripping bodies. As gay as he was, he still didn't care for seeing all the other young men on the trip in only board shorts. Really, he only had eyes for Naruto. Wobbling to his feet, Sasuke looked across the water as the blond dumped buckets of water onto the fire.

"Woohoo!" came a cry from Deidara. Looking around blearily, there was a loud splosh from next to him and a large spray of water slammed him across the face and chest.

"N-no!" he spluttered, spitting water out of his face. "My new rugby shirt! Why?" Sheer despair filled his chest as he looked down at his dripping white and blue top. "Why does this always happen?" Sasori snorted.

"It's an ugly shirt. And it's only water, so what's the big deal?" he snarled, stumbling across the deck toward the snake.

"Ts!" the raven hissed, cautiously side stepping away. He wasn't in the mood for drunken violence. "I know it's only water. But it's brand new after Naruto ruined my other one." Suddenly, the sneer on the lizard's face twisted into a smirk.

"Leave him alone, Sasori," Gaara suddenly said to his cousin, with a stern glare in his hard eyes.

"That's right," Neji agreed. "Your attitude toward Sasuke is irrational. Not to mention the fact that he's the chairman's son. He'll always be more powerful than you." Those words seemed to slap the raven in the face, as he stared at the brunet. He was powerful. Not words he was used to hearing, but words he knew were or would one day be true.

"Hn…" he muttered, as a venomous smirk began to spread across his face. Power was one word that was as appealing an idea to Sasuke as the idea of Lust. An urge was coming over him – the urge to use this power. A little indiscretion wouldn't matter, especially if he was drunk. The smile spread dangerously across his face as he caught Deidara in the corner of his eye, paddling in the water and swimming around the base of the raft. "Hn… that's right Sasori. I might not have minions like you and your boyfriend, but my father will hear if you do anything stupid." The redhead raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"Actually, bastard, that's not how it works. You're father doesn't care unless you do something to us, because our families are an asset to him, unlike you. You may be an Uchiha, but you really are a nobody." A low growl escaped the raven's mouth as his teeth began to lengthen. Seeing this, and how Sasuke's eyes flashed red and his pupils narrowed to slits, Sasori scoffed. "I'm sorry, bastard? Did I get a nerve? Are you really that pathetic?" Considerably taller than the redhead, Sasuke took a strong step forward, but Neji quickly moved in front of him before he could grab a fistful of the blood red hair and yank it out of Sasori's scalp.

"What's going on?" Deidara asked, half hauling himself up on his arms. "Bastard – don't get violent, or you'll pay for it, un," he gently threatened. Sasuke sent him a freezing glare.

"Don't undermine me, you weakling," he murmured, his voice too low. "Hokuto…" The blond blinked, still clutching onto the side of the raft.

"Yeah?" All of a sudden, just as the ferret went to push some water out of his dripping fringe, warm hands clamped around his elbows. "What the hell are you-" he cried furiously, as his body was lifted right out of the lake. He opened his eyes to catch a glimpse of two red eyes with pupils like narrow slits, before a powerful force sent him flying backward through the air. A cold pain slammed into his skull as he slapped onto the water, very hard and at the wrong angle. What stung even more was the laughter that came from the raven as he splashed into the water. It was too harsh and loud. Not a nice laugh at all.

"Sasuke!" Neji shouted, stomping toward the dark-haired boy. "That wasn't funny! That throw was dangerous." He stared over the edge of the water as the ferret resurfaced, clutching the side of his head and a face twisted with rage. It was almost as scary as the one Sasuke found himself confronted with as he turned to see Sasori, readying himself to tackle the raven into the water. As the panic suddenly dispersed through his body, the snake coiled away from the lunge before lashing out at the redhead's waist.

"Sasuke – don't be dumb…" murmured Gaara, too out of sorts to walk over and do something. There was another great splash as Sasori was flipped into the water. As the cackling from the too-drunk Sasuke started again, the couple that had been humiliated turned to Tobi with both of their faces absolute masks.  
>"Push that bastard in the water!" Deidara yelled out to him, while swimming madly back the raft. "Fucking drown him!" But after taking a few shy steps toward the grinning drunk, Tobi's trembling knees disallowed him from moving any closer.<p>

"That's enough," Neji growled, grabbing Sasuke's shoulder and guiding him away from the edge of the raft to sit with Gaara, but the raven wouldn't comply. Totally pissed in every sense of the term, Sasori and Deidara clambered out of the water and onto the platform. Both were gasping, but whether it was due to lack of oxygen or just extreme rage, it couldn't be certain.

"Sasori," muttered the blond, nodding at his partner. The taller of the redheads smirked, before advancing on Sasuke. Smirk still on his face, the raven stepped around Neji, keen to fight. But suddenly his vision went blurry, and the figure moving toward him seemed to waver, and he didn't notice as Deidara then winked at Tobi, who made a move for Neji.

"Hey!" roared the brunet, as the stronger arms of Tobi grabbed him tightly and held him in an armlock. Struggling to escape as the arms tightened, Neji gasped as Sasori easily took hold of Sasuke. The poor raven seemed to lose his wits as if he momentarily forgot what was happening.

"Bring the bastard here!" yelled Deidara, looking the snake up and down as if he was the most disgusting piece of crap he'd ever seen. It was akin to the expression that someone might make if they had just been asked to clean a long drop. Sasori was met with little resistance as he dragged Sasuke across the raft to the feet of the furious blond. The raven's head lolled back as he squinted at Deidara, as though he couldn't quite make him out. "You really are the most vile, putrid reptile ever to breathe! I can't figure out why you even exist, you disturbing freak!"

"Hn?" the snake shook his head. "Hey… let me go!" he cried, suddenly finding that he was being held by two strong arms. "Neji-kun? Gaara? Gaara!" The first time and last time the shorter redhead had ever drunk, he was unconscious very quickly. Today wasn't an exception, as Sasuke stared in horror down at his friend's body that was now sprawled on the wooden planks. "Hey! I have to help him! Don't you care about your cousin, Sasori?"

"He'll be fine," sniggered the cousin into Sasuke's ear. "He's just had too much."  
>"Deidara – snap out of it! You've had too much," pleaded Neji, still struggling against the tallest raven. Ignoring his wise friend completely, the blond grabbed the snake's face, squeezing it painfully hard in his fingers.<p>

"You treat everyone like they're beneath you. You treat my friend like your goddamn plaything. And I won't stand for that. No good friend would." As hard as Sasuke tried to listen to the words and feel the pain to help himself to sober up slightly, his cheeks were numb and his mind was a blur. All he could do was flinch as a large glob of saliva spattered across his eyes and forehead. His reactions were too slow. A weighty fist swung around and collided with his cheekbone, smacking his head hard to his right and finally sending a building pain shooting through him as he cried out. It still wasn't enough to make him sober.

"Sasuke!" screamed a distant voice. The voice was a blended mix of anger and mortification, and had a familiar grittiness.

"Naruto," he mumbled, as his head began to spin more. The fox had disappeared up to the villa to dispose of the rubbish and hadn't seen anything that had been happening on the raft. But when he came back down and looked across the water to see Deidara punching Sasuke so violently, his heart filled with despair. He dropped the bucket he was holding and threw himself toward the water's edge.

"Deidara! You bastard!" spluttered the blond, in absolute hysterics as he pounded through the water. It was as though the ferret couldn't even hear him, and he kept sending shameful blows for the raven's unguarded face. With each punch, Sasuke screamed in agony. The more he was hit in the face that year, the more it seemed to hurt.

"Le-let me go!" roared the snake, shaking against Sasori. "That's enough!" Another cry of pain flew from his lips with a spray of blood, as this time Deidara aimed a fist for his gut. Before Sasuke even had a chance to breathe again, the ferret clamped a hand around his white throat.

"You want Sasori to let you go?" he drawled, his breath drenched with the scent of whiskey. "Really stupid choice of words there, fuckwit." Suddenly, the blond's knee flew up hard between the raven's legs. The pain that ripped from the knee in his crotch through to his stomach and even his extremities almost made Sasuke vomit aggressively on the attacker. Letting out a strangled gasp as his eyes flashed white, he felt his knees give way to the cheap shot that the ferret had gone so low to take. Sasori heaved the lump back up before dragging him over to the water.

"In you go, un," Deidara laughed, as Sasori pushed the gasping boy hard over the edge of the raft. Drunk, head spinning, body contorting in hideous agony, plummeting into the water, Sasuke immediately felt his clothes tugging him down and his chest heaved so hard he had to fight to stop himself drowning. Where did the surface go? Whether it was the alcohol, or just pain and shock, the snake felt himself dragged into blackness as he lost consciousness, mere seconds after being submerged.

"Sasuke!" Neji had cried, as Sasori dumped him into the lake like a lead brick. "I thought he couldn't swim!" Deidara burst into laughter at the brunet's horrified revelation.

"Would it be so bad if he accidentally died? It was just an accident, right?" he cackled, tripping slightly on his feet as he peered over the edge of the raft. "I'm sure someone could dive down and retrieve any remains for a funeral." Neji felt a rumbling in his chest as his teeth tried to grind each other flat. How could someone he called his friend act so cruelly? The patter of the water on the pontoons began to grow in volume. As he twisted his head around to the beach he saw Naruto, pounding toward them through the water. Hope. With a sudden burst of energy, the brunet slammed his shoulder into Tobi's chin. Yelping in pain, the boy let go of Neji long enough for him to leap away. Ignoring the sound of water spattering on the deck as the fox pulled himself out, the brunet advanced upon the dazed Deidara and grabbed the front of his collar.

"That's enough! It's time to go back!" he barked, yanking him to the canoe. He looked up just in time to see Naruto sprinting to the edge of the craft, slamming Sasori heavily over the side with a strong arm before leaping with his smooth body slicing knife-like into the water. Wasting as little time as possible, Neji put the most intoxicated – Deidara and the unconscious redhead – in the water. He climbed into the boat with them, yelling at Tobi to be ready to haul Sasuke and Naruto out. Then he paddled faster than humanly possible back to shore.

"Now, you fucking idiot," he hissed to the ferret, who only frowned sleepily, "take a nap for the rest of the afternoon! I don't want to see your face until you're sober!" Neji was perfectly aware of the power he had to be intimidating when he needed to be. Defiance sparked in the blond's eyes, but with a heavy sigh, he complied and stumbled up the slopes. "Gaara," he muttered, putting his arms around the boy and picking him up out of the canoe. "I always wondered…" He pushed some of the rust red hair off Gaara's forehead and examined the red character tattooed into the pale skin. "Of course it says that." Moving quickly up the beach he laid the boy in the grass before returning to the canoe. The people on the raft could well need it to get Sasuke back.

Deep water felt like a living thing. It was an entity that could control you, smother you and kill you. There was no beauty, and no art. Like an empty void where no one ever goes, Sasuke felt the sense of being alone more profoundly than anywhere else. Just like when he was a child and he was at the bottom of the pool. _I'm only a hideous reptile. I shouldn't have even been born._ Even his closest friends treated him like he was volatile. Shikamaru, Sakura, Gaara, all of them. And everyone else was either madly in love with him or hated him with a passion. These baseless emotions made him feel fake, and the water made it echo around his head like a screaming voice. _You're weak. Pathetic. Drown now or live on in self-disgust._ Asphyxiation was a death that the raven could feel comfortable with. But the arms of a hero would never agree with him, as they wrapped around his unconscious head and pulled him back up through the water.

"You got him!" Sasori paddled over to help Naruto as he resurfaced, carrying the pale and unconscious raven on his collar. Together they swam him to Tobi, who lifted the boy out of the water and rolled him onto his back. Practically flying out of the lake, the fox clambered across Sasuke and reached out to his white face with shaking hands.

"Sasuke…" he whispered. "No…" As his shivering fingers stroked the deathly white skin, his heart panged. The snake was stone cold. Dead. Sasuke was dead. "No!" Naruto cried, tears springing to his eyes as he clasped the boy's peaceful face to his own.

"He's not dead until he's warm and dead. Besides, I can see him breathing," Neji said, pulling the fox away by the shoulder. But the blond clung tight to Sasuke's limp body, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his collar. "Did you hear me, Naruto? He may be alive, so we need to get him warm right now!" With no hesitation, Tobi picked up a fluffy white towel and laid it across the raven.

"He could be alive?" the fox cried, turning to the brunet.

"Yes!" Heart pounding in his chest from exhaustion, Naruto tore Sasuke from the ground and pushed the canoe off the end of the raft while leaping in himself. Neji grimaced as the fox sped away toward the beach, as though he was escaping a tsunami. "Naruto! Get him a doctor!" he yelled after the stupid blond. Sasori frowned.

"Why does Naruto care about someone as dangerous as Sasuke?" Neji shot around to him with a deadly glare, but the redhead only shrugged. "I know we went too far today. I just mean in general – why does he care?"

"You don't see Sasuke as a human, do you? Because of what he did to Naruto," the brunet said airily, gazing across to the fox as he hit the shore. "He is though. People do terrible things to one another. But people like Naruto and Gaara – the people who truly know him – don't want to focus on his sin, or his failings. I believe that the true Sasuke is the one we see now, and the one who was Naruto's friend, and I believe that he will always be like that at heart." Tobi's eyes narrowed.

"But what if the cruel Sasuke is the true one?" he asked Neji, causing the brunet to flick his head around to him in surprise.

"We already know that he's cruel. Like I said, it's possible to look past his failings. And I think Naruto believes that it's worth it, if it's for Sasuke."

The fox in question was still pounding to the villa, with the raven lolling in his arms. A worried servant dashed out to meet him, but was met with yells to set up the in-house hospital in the boy's room. The boy was thrown into bed, and immediately examined by a doctor, who told Naruto that the boy was absolutely fine and that the fox had probably completely overreacted to the entire situation. But the doctor probably didn't know the dangerous mental state of the raven as he sank deeper into the water.

When Sasuke awoke, he had no idea where he was. There was no sound, and when he opened his eyes everything was a blur.

"Hn…" He tried to move his arms. "What the-?" Was he tied to something? Even as he squirmed he couldn't move at all. Suddenly he gasped. Something tickly was wiggling against his stomach. Blinking furiously, trying to clear his vision, he found that he was in a pale room. His room. "Ah," he sighed, as his tense body began to relax. Somehow he was back in the villa. Did that mean? No. It wasn't a dream. His head and guts were aching from where Deidara had attacked him. Figuring that it still hurt a lot and that the ferret wasn't as good at delivering beatings as the fox, he knew that he must've only been unconscious for a matter of hours. Whoever rescued him must've done it pretty quickly. The thing on his chest wiggled again, only this time Sasuke could see what it was. A lump of bristly red fur wriggled two black tipped ears, and yawned with its little white mouth, showing a row of fangs. From what the snake could tell as the bundle flopped onto its back, it was fast asleep. "Naruto," he muttered, going to poke him before remembering he couldn't move. The fox's ear flicked. "Naruto!" Sasuke shouted suddenly, lifting himself up slightly and then slamming back down. The fox's golden eyes burst open in surprise as it was bounced on the raven's stomach. Naruto blinked blearily at the figure above him. It was Sasuke. He was tied into his bed by the sheets and looked furious. And he was okay. "Agh?"

"Sasuke! You're okay! I was so worried," cried the blond, hugging the raven's waist.

"Usuratonkachi," he choked, trying to push the boy off him. "You're heavy. You don't just transform while you're on top of people." Naruto laughed, before releasing the panting, red-faced Sasuke and clambering off him.

"I thought Deidara had killed you, so I'm kind of excited." The raven raised a cynical eyebrow.

"You're still drunk, aren't you, dobe? I know that I still am." Despite the serious face that the snake held, Naruto couldn't stop beaming.

"I'm just so glad you're okay. You know the doctor said you just passed out because you were scared." Instead of Sasuke's face relaxing, his eyes turned to glares. It wasn't that it was embarrassing though. The blond bit his lip. "Look," he said, trying to appease the angry Uchiha, "things are going to change for you, I promise. The others will stay away from you. We can be together again." As Naruto locked eyes with the boy's dark orbs again, he couldn't help but feel a strum of surprise. And Sasuke couldn't save himself. His façade crumbled like it was made of gravel and mud, completely washing away as his eyes began to brim with emotion. The fox could see it all.

"Usuratonkachi. I hate you," Sasuke growled. Oblivious as ever, Naruto completely missed the raven's head with the umbrella, allowing the rain tumbling onto the canopy and spray his face.

"What? Oh sorry," the fox cried, pulling the taller boy under the nylon cover. "I'm mortified, Sasuke. It wasn't supposed to rain today." As it happened, today was the last Saturday of the holidays, and as promised, Naruto had spent the morning stuffing his friend with tomatoes.

"Dobe," he hissed, snarling at the fox's innocent blue eyes. "The weather forecast was for torrential rain. You can't will it to be sunny." Naruto shivered and looked down the muddy road to the café. There were people inside eating their lunches, bathed in an appealing warm glow. Next to him, the irritable Uchiha let out a huff. "What are you so happy about?"

"I'm just glad it's still open, because I didn't want everything that was supposed to be good on this trip spoiled," the blond muttered, frowning slightly. "How did you know I was happy? I wasn't smiling."

"I just knew," the raven grumbled, pushing Naruto slightly. "It's freezing. Move." So the two continued down the muddy road, with the fox hogging the rain cover the entire way. As they opened the café door and stepped inside, Sasuke was irritated to find his hair was dripping and flat, while the blond was completely dry and fluffy.

"Are you very hungry, teme?" Naruto asked him, completely failing to notice the disparity. Sasuke didn't bother to answer, but his eyes flicked over to a glass of tomato juice sitting on the table in front of a thin woman by the window. It must have been very cold outside, as the corners of the glass had fogged up. And the heat that had wrapped itself around the newcomers as they had entered, too, just emphasized how freezing they had been. "What flavour of ramen do you want?" The blond gave the raven an exasperated sigh as he was completely ignored again. Sasuke brushed past Naruto and made his way to the girl at the counter.

"Tofu salad, a bowl of ramen, a Sapporo and a tomato juice," he declared, reducing the girl to a bubbling mess as he flicked some of his dark hair out of his eyes.

"O-okay I'll get that to you and your friend as fast as possible. You look cold," she burst out, unable to control her blush. "Why don't you take that seat by the fire? It's lovely and warm." Naruto suddenly appeared next to the raven as he shunted him to the side.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm paying," he said, grabbing some money from his pocket and shoving it on the counter. "Is that enough?" A whisper of a sneer appeared on the corner of the girl's face, as she looked Naruto up and down.

"You're short," she told him bluntly, folding her arms. "You're one hundred yen short." Next to him Sasuke found himself measuring the blond's height with his eyes. _Yeah, that's not what she meant._

"Well I didn't bring one hundred more yen!" the fox snapped, crossing his own arms in a grump.

"I think I have one hundred yen," Sasuke interjected, reaching for the back pocket of his jeans. Suddenly, the girl's demeanor did a total u-turn.

"Oh no, don't worry about it!" she cried, waving casually. "You guys don't need to worry." Shrugging, the raven grabbed a number, but she placed a hand on the top to stop him. "Don't worry – I'll remember your order," she told him with a smile. Naruto poked his tongue out at her as they went to take the other window seat.

"How do you do that?" the fox finally managed to say, after five minutes of just sitting there, opening and closing his mouth at the raven. Even their orders had finally appeared.

"Do what?" asked Sasuke, sipping restlessly at his juice. The blond flailed his hands.

"You know," he wined, sending a meaningful glance back at the counter girl, who hadn't taken her eyes off the snake since they'd sat down. "How do you attract women so easily?"

"I don't know. You tell me."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" he asked him, leaning in slightly. Sasuke's brow furrowed. If Naruto were going to interrogate him on how to pick up girls, he wouldn't hesitate to get up and leave.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Will you please shut up?" _Damn you, dobe._ The fox began to pout and his frowning blue eyes began to waver. They weren't puppy dog eyes, but if they had been it wouldn't have worked on Sasuke. "Fine. I hate every one of them – that's why."

"But," the blond tilted his head in a manner that made the raven have to divert his gaze to the rain pattering on the ground out the window, "aren't you good friends with that Sakura girl?"

"Why are you asking me this?" the dark-haired boy bit out suddenly, making Naruto's eyes widen. "The rule for you and friends sharing the room with us is that you can only bring in Hinata, because she doesn't stalk me. I mean I hate all the stalkers."

"Oh yeah," the fox said, looking up at the ceiling. He shoveled a wad of noodles in his mouth. "Sho then why doeshn't shomeone like you have a girlfriend? There musht be shomebody you like. Ish it Shakura?" About to take a bite of his salad but having his appetite ruined somewhat, Sasuke grimaced.

"Don't talk with your mouthful. Sakura and I are friends and nothing more. There is a very simple answer to the mystery. I have never been interested in any of them before," he told the blond. At this point, Sasuke didn't really care if Naruto figured out that he was gay.

"Neither," the whiskered-boy sighed, completely missing the point. "But if I was as attractive as you then I'd never need to worry about it." The breath hitched a little in Sasuke's throat at this, and he felt his cheeks tinge pink.

"What are you talking about?" he snapped. Naruto winced as the snake slammed a fist on the table. A few people nearby glanced their way. "Is everyone insane? Girls should be throwing themselves at your feet!"

"But I'm ugly," chuckled the fox, his eyes slightly worried.

"You have got to be kidding me, Naruto," the raven muttered, sculling his tomato juice. "Are you done?"

"Does this really need to be the quickest lunch in the history of the universe?"

"Hn." Quickly before the moron could grab it, Sasuke swiped the umbrella and moving to the door. Sighing, the fox followed suit. As the umbrella flew open, the raven lifted it over his head and stepped out onto the muddy ground. Lustful eyes turned to the blond. "Naruto…" he muttered, grabbing his friend's arm and pulling him under cover from the rain. "There is something you must know. Gaara knows it, Shikamaru knows it, Sakura knows it and Itachi knows it. If this is meant to celebrate our friendship, then I must tell you now."

"Uh," Naruto bit his lip, looking up into Sasuke's dark eyes. "Can I guess?" The pale boy smirked.

"Ts. Go ahead," he murmured, inching ever so slightly closer to the blond's gentle face.

"Okay… Are you secretly very lonely?" he asked him. The snake's smile vanished more quickly than an inkblot on oiled paper.

"Why the fuck would my secret be something stupid like that?" he hissed, rolling his eyes at the fox's blatant stupidity. Yet to his surprise, Naruto's face cracked into a grin.

"Well then it's the other thing, isn't it?" Sasuke blinked.

"What are you talking about now?" he drawled.

"Pretty much all my friends are gay or loners." He blinked again. The fox grinned back, as if to say 'BINGO', as the snake's face went from irritated to blankness. Suddenly, a jet of lightening rocketed up the raven's body and his face burst into flames.

"Usuratonkachi!" he cried, clasping a hand to his mouth as a blush spilled across his face like red wine. "I-I never said I wasn't a loner, you fucking idiot! I just said it wasn't a secret."

"I was just kidding, Sasuke – calm down," Naruto said. "Pfft… Hahaha!" he said, bursting into laughter. "You should've seen your face! You really are a homophobe, aren't you?"

"Am not!" yelled the snake, shunting the fox and forcing him to walk.

"Yeah, okay. What's your secret then?" he asked, still shaking with laughter. Sasuke bit down on his lip. The moment had really been ruined. Or maybe he wouldn't have had the guts to tell Naruto in the first place.

"It was that I don't really know what I'm like, so your friends are right to be wary of me," he muttered. It wasn't a total lie, so it sounded convincing enough. The fox frowned, watching the splashes his feet were making in the mud.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know," he sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Well, Sasuke," Naruto began, stroking his chin, "whatever you mean exactly, you can be sure I'll help you find out what you're really… hang on."

"What is it?" The snake glanced over as the cute blond pulled out his phone. "A text?"

"It's from Rock," the fox said, squinting at the screen and wiping off the condensation.

"Ts." Sasuke dug his hands deeper into his pockets.

"MG broke his leg." The raven's eyes shot back to Naruto's phone in surprise. "Really?" he asked, genuinely shocked that his P.E. teacher had injured himself.

"Ah… yeah. Apparently he was showing Rock about parkour and he had a fall." The whole time the fox was shaking his head. "We won't be seeing MG again for ages. That bites – he was a great coach. Insane, but great." Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I guess he didn't say who's replacing him." Naruto shook his head.

"No, he did," he said, scrolling down. The raven leaned over his shoulder and peered at the text.

"Huh. Orochimaru. Who's that?"

**Well WE know who that is. TROUBLE. WOOHOO~! By the way, I'd like to welcome you to the sexier half of the story haha... so many potential relationships... And i know what's going to happen - ain't I a stinker?**

**I'll TRY to update within a week but with the way things are I really can't make promises. BUT I WILL TRY :)**


	8. Weakness

**Hey all finished chapter 8! Edited too :P You wanted Orochimaru? Here he is muahahahaha... I hope you enjoy reading about him as much as I enjoyed writing about him :D**

8 – Weakness

Though he was glad to finally be away from Deidara and the lake, life at home again cast a grey mood back over Sasuke. However, not being one to be in a good mood anyway, everything was just the way it should be when he returned to school. Yes, his reputation was tottering on the edge of cliff, but he had Naruto by his side. With any luck, he would be safe now.

"Uh, Sasuke? Could you help me with this? What does the teacher mean by molecules having different shapes?" Once again, Tsunade had thrown her students in the deep end of the new topic, and for once Naruto was the one to start drowning, not Sasuke.

"She means," the raven sighed, wondering where to begin. "Give it here, dobe. I'll show you," he huffed, snatching the fox's workbook.

"Hey! Quit being so pushy," Naruto barked, snatching the book back. "I thought you said you were a good tutor."

"You know what, dobe?" Sasuke asked him with a pointed glare. "I'm pretty sure there's a science magazine in that pile that explains this. I lied about being a good tutor so you'd stop being so stubborn." The blond scoffed, tapping his pen irritably on his desk.

"You're the worst, teme, and the best. Generous maybe, but you're also a total bastard." Yes. Things were definitely how they should be again. Even his grey mood was only a whisper of the misery and insecurities Sasuke had shed. Sadness that had numbed the hate he felt for his father was gone. His hand was moving itself over the page, as his eyes stared at the board, totally unseeing. Now he had to ask himself, who was steering his fate at this point? because despite what he wanted to believe, it wasn't him.

Nasty black clouds floated in the sky above the city that afternoon, but they refused to release their loads. As all the students in MG's class knew though, if it wasn't raining then they still went outside – despite the sports uniform being totally inadequate on cold days. Sasuke shivered as he pulled his shirt over his head and the air hit his pale stomach. Zaku, who was changing next to him, sniggered.

"Are you feeling cold, Barbie-face?" he teased, leering darkly at the boy. The raven merely ignored him. Howling winds whipped around outside, making him shudder again, and Zaku noticed. The piggy-eyed boy let out an explosive, highly irritating laugh.

"Shut up, you fucking prick," Naruto growled, as the raven heatedly stuffed his clothes into his locker and stomped away. Zaku flipped the snake off before snorting at the whiskered boy.

"You're the one who needs to shut up, Uzumaki. It's his family that bullies ours into selling them shares for more than they're worth." The blond's eyes narrowed at the brunet, as his fist tightened itself into a ball.

"Watch it," he muttered, continuing to undo his fly while maintaining burning eye contact with Zaku.

Unaware of the connection that the Uchihas had to the Abumis, Sasuke pushed through the pounding wind with dissipating annoyance and augmenting curiosity. His eardrums wanted to burst as the air rushed past him with great roars, and if it weren't for his sure footing it was possible that he would be blown away. Rugby was going to be confusing today. Visibility was fine for some, but for people like the raven who had long flowing hair, it couldn't be worse. He winced as dark strands found their way into his eyes and mouth and whipped his cheeks. It was like having the disadvantage of long hair getting in the way, all the while lacking the advantage of being able to tie it back, as only his fringe actually had much length. Maybe he should've worn a scarf today. But as he wrapped his shivering arms around his body, he only wanted to know where the damn teacher who was putting them outside on a day like today was. Suddenly, icy fingers brushed his neck and he whipped around.

"Uchiha Sasuke – the son of the chairman." Not one to be touched very often, if at all, Sasuke retracted shyly from the pale hand and stared in shock at the extremely white man standing before him. Long, dark hair framed the man's rigid face. The raven gulped as his eyes met his new teacher's odious gaze and snake-like amber eyes, with only slits for pupils. Purple markings shadowed them and traveled down his nose as if to emphasize the man's reptilian appearance. Thin lips bore a long, insipid smile. The young snake went to greet his new teacher, but his weakened words disappeared before they left his mouth. This man looked strong, dark and terrifying. "You don't appear as strong as your brother," drawled the man, his lips barely moving around the words. Sasuke was still struck, but an irritated eyebrow twitched slightly at the harsh comparison. "However, I sense far more potential in you. You could be much stronger one day." The wind was silent. The effects of it were clear, but to the raven it felt as though all he could hear was this person's voice. His jaw hung slightly ajar as the power emanating from the lord's body filled the nose of the ravenous boy, making his mouth water. Whoever this man was, he possessed what Sasuke hungered for, and it was almost driving him mental.

"Thanks, Orochimaru-sensei," he finally mumbled, as the gloom resettled. Meeting someone with power wasn't going to magically give him the strength he needed. "But my father does not see any potential in me. Itachi holds more prestige than I ever could." The phantom-like man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully and his thin smile began to stretch.

"But you require more. That's what I sense." The verity of the words sliced easily through the wailing wind; crisp and clear. Even as Orochimaru turned away from Sasuke to impatiently wave over the rest of the students, he felt unable to tear his gaze away from him. Many knew that the raven was ambitious and wanted more power. But no one had ever really said to him that he had 'potential'. No one had ever told him he could surpass his brother. Somehow, his heart was pounding in his chest. He'd often suspected that he could eventually be the greatest Uchiha, but he'd never received the hint from anybody else. The real truth as to why no one had said anything like that to him before was because no one was stupid enough to give the conceited bastard's ego a stroking. "What are you pathetic idiots doing?" Orochimaru barked to the huddling teens. "Get into fucking position!" Miserable, red faces quickly turned to shock at the teacher's terrible language, before Zaku broke off from the group and took his place as one of the props. The raven's eyes finally snapped away from the man and settled on the grumpy, cold fox who was now stomping toward him, his sense of awe turning to a somewhat different sense of awe. Perverted awe.

"Ne, Sasuke! What's with that guy?" the blond whispered loudly, shooting vicious glares to Orochimaru.

"Ts. He's fine," muttered Sasuke, wrinkling his nose. It wouldn't be good if he let himself sneeze in Naruto's face. "What position are you?" The blond grinned cheekily.

"1st 5/8 of course. You know? I get to kick the ball and make decisions." The raven smirked.

"Of course you are. I'm just a wussy little wing, who actually wins the game for everyone else. Are you going to get into position?" The fox flicked a hand, sneering mockingly at him.

"You get into position, teme."

"I already am in position, dobe." The snake gently reached out and pushed Naruto's shoulder, and the pink-faced boy continued along the momentum and allowed the wind to blow him to the opposite end of the field. Looking over his shoulder, he caught a glimpse of Tenten, who was almost blue with cold.

"I've never seen you ingrates play before, so show me that you can!" yelled the demonic teacher, his slanted eyes narrow and his mouth twisted into a snarl. Standing back, he looked the players up and down with a scrutinising eye. Once he decided that the students were in the right positions, he lifted the whistle and blew sharply. The ball shot through the air as it was sent rocketing from the other team's centre player. Rugby was truly ridiculous in the class with Sasuke. As the raven ran to back up the centre and the ball was passed back to him, he caught it and sprinted into the opposition's side of the field faster than nearly anyone could run. Wind ripped at his shirt as he ploughed toward the other side with the ball, so far ahead of the rest of his team that there was no need to pass it. Up ahead was the try line, and it had been a cinch to break through high school level defences. But just before the try line was an obstacle. Sasuke had little time to think as he tried to dodge the flying yellow bullet. Losing traction in the damp grass, the snake stumbled and the bullet took the opportunity. As the fox began to dive for his waist, he saw the centre make a dash out of the corner of his eye, and before Naruto even managed to collide heavily with the raven's side, the ball was gone and racing for the line. Although the blond was slightly shorter than Sasuke, he was a lot more solid.

"Ack!" the boy cried, as the air was slammed out of his chest and he was pulled back hard by the weight suddenly gripping his torso. It was like he'd been hit with a naga surujin hard enough to knock him off his feet, and then slam back onto the grass. "Ne Naruto! Don't use your hojojustu on me," the raven muttered, as warm hands ran over his chest, searching for the ball. Naruto withdrew sharply.

"Do I look like I have any chains on me, you slut?" the fox bit out, as the blood rushed to his face. With the fox's knee between the snake's thighs and his soft hands resting low on his exposed white stomach, Sasuke felt his own body heat up a few degrees. His friend lifted himself off the body beneath him and threw a dismayed sigh toward the centre player as he placed the ball on the try line. The raven wasn't even honestly sure how he managed not to throw his arms around Naruto's neck and pretend that he was cold. Slipping on purpose and then using it as an excuse to touch the fox wasn't great teamwork. But as hungry eyes raked every inch of the blond's tantalising body, Sasuke found that it was a sacrifice that he was more than willing to make. Although his team managed to score the first try, Tenten received an earful when she missed the conversion from Orochimaru, and when Zaku Abumi managed to break through the defences of the snake's team, they found themselves losing their lead as Naruto easily kicked a two pointer on top of the try.

"See what happens when weak people let down the side? You've now lost your lead!" hissed the man, grabbing the girl's shivering shoulder. Tenten sneered defiantly at the teacher.

"The wind was blowing in our direction. I already knew I couldn't make that kick," she growled to her friend as she jogged back onto the field. "That Orochimaru is such a jerk." Jumping from one foot to the other and rubbing the Goosebumps on his arms, Sasuke glared hard at the ball in their centre's hands, thinking about whether he should accidentally slip again, or show off by getting tries. Little electric bolts tore through his capillaries when he thought about being pinned down the fox. It would definitely feel better to fall. Just as he thought he had decided, he became aware that the reptilian man was standing at the edge of his vision. Sasuke clenched his fist and bit down as the snake-like eyes burned into the side of his face.

"Impress me, Uchiha-san," drawled Orochimaru, that insipid smile returning to his thin lips. Maybe he could push up the score a little more. The whistle blew. Straight away, the opposing team took possession of the ball. Following its movements down the field, the raven made sure that he was ready to stop any player who came his way with it. But as Zaku was throwing a pass to his teammate, Tenten managed to sweep between them and snatch the ball as it flew freely through the air. Immediately, she was met with a tackle, but she managed to stumble a few more feet before being pulled to her knees. Rock Lee dashed for her and helped to hold her down, but was unable to reach for the ball as the girl held it back. Number 8 from Sasuke's team prepared himself to grab the ball, and his eyes quickly shifted from player to player as he tried to judge who to throw the ball to, or if he should carry it himself. As the player's breath returned to him, he reached for the ball and threw it back to the center. The team began to run up the field, passing the ball to their backups as soon as the wall of opposing team confronted them. Panting heavily, the raven tried to stay in a position where he was unmarked and where his teammates would be able to send him the ball. Soon enough, as they began to cross into the last third of the field, the ball flew past the other team's left wing and out of reach. Sasuke slowed enough to allow the projectile to land in his arms, before throwing himself forward like a speeding cheetah. Far more agile than the other team, the snake had no trouble weaving past them. Now that he had the ball, there really was no relying on anyone else. That was why they only ever gave him the ball in the last third. His feet dug slightly into the soft ground, so with each step he was able to propel himself with even more force and change direction even more spontaneously. That shit eating grin on Naruto's face would soon be gone. The fox quickly moved to tackle and swerved as Sasuke did. But the diversion was only a bluff.

"Damn it!" shouted the blond, turning to rip after the raven who so easily manoeuvered around him. "Shit!" His hands flew to cover his eyes in dismay as Sasuke ran right past the fullback and up to place the ball right by the goal posts. "Fuck he can run." Thanks to the snake's careful placing of the try, Tenten had no problem kicking the ball between the posts, and thanks to the nod of encouragement from Orochimaru, the snake scored three more tries before the end of the match. It finished twenty-nine points to seven. A decent match for high school sport, and even the scrums and lineouts seemed to show a class of sportsmanship that outstripped the norm. The coach, however, seemed far less than impressed.

"I don't even know where to begin," he sighed, placing an exasperated hand on his forehead as he gazed disappointedly at his class. Everyone only seemed to glare right back. Covered in dirt and sweat and panting heavily, none seemed too pleased with the cruel criticism. "Tenten. You missed three out of five of your conversions, yet you call yourself a good kicker – a pathetic effort from an overconfident girl," he drawled, as the girl with chocolate brown hair began to snarl.

"Y-you must be out of your mind. Th-this isn't a professional team and there's been a strong headwind the ent-entire time," she stuttered, shaking from a combination of stress, cold, exhaustion and anger.

"You're lucky that Uchiha-san kept up the score for your team," Orochimaru continued, ignoring the muddy girl. "And you, Uzumaki. Your anticipation skills are as weak as you and the rest of your team are." Naruto gritted his teeth at the sneering man. His mind was almost bursting with comebacks, and flames felt like they would fly from his mouth to burn the creep with verbal abuse. If it weren't for Sasuke's somewhat unsupportive and vacant expression he would've let the teacher have it. "Get out of my sight." Spirits crushed into the mud, the grass-stained, exhausted teens dragged themselves away. As soon as they were out of earshot, tongues began to lash.

"How long does a broken leg take to mend?" groaned Tenten to Naruto, massaging a tender bruise on her shoulder.

"I…" the fox began, looking around at the sudden lack of presence beside him. Sasuke had vanished. "…don't know." His solid and aching legs slowed to a stop as he turned around to wait for the raven. A twang of annoyance and sadness burst in his heart. The boy with amazing dark hair and glowing skin was walking with the beast behind them, and the beast was wearing a long, evil smile.

"Uchiha-san, you played very well today," slurred the monster with the thin lips. "Not to your full potential, though. Not even close." Sasuke frowned darkly. Orochimaru seemed to know these things simply by glancing at him. Was he for real? He could just be sucking up to the chairman's son.

"What do you mean? Father has no interest in me or my future," he repeated. Perhaps this guy could offer him something.

"You've already mentioned that, and as I said: you require more." Again, the accuracy of these words felt like a cold bucket of water over the head. Corners of his mouth down-turned, he tried a new approach.

"Are you suggesting that I should head my family?" Orochimaru's smirk grew.

"I'm not saying anything in particular like that. But if you did want to surpass your brother and remove your father, you'd have a long way to go." Surpass Itachi? Did he really want to do that? Recently his mind never went further than Naruto. His hand rested on the handle of the gym door as he considered. Next to him he could feel those snakey eyes examining his expression. Hopefully he wouldn't find anything. To surpass Itachi would be like betraying his own brother.

"I don't want to surpass Itachi. I want to be strong enough to allow my brother to achieve anything he needs. More than anything though, I want to end Fugaku's reign." Finally, he let his hand pull down and push the door open, and they continued inside. Suddenly, a sickly thought rose in the back of his mind, and his stomach just about leapt out of his throat. If this Orochimaru person worked for his father, he could've just blown everything. His whole body felt frozen and stiff, as he awaited the sentence. If only he could see the man's face from this angle.

"That's good. I'm glad you're not like your father," the creature said gently, causing an audible sigh of relief to escape the raven. "Well, feel free to come to me when you figure out what you want. Off you go, Uchiha-san." Sasuke looked back at Orochimaru with a confused frown pasted to his dirt-smudged face. Those terrifying reptilian eyes chilled his blood. Heart unusually feverish, he gave a small bow.

"Thank you, sensei."

Over the holidays so much had happened. Not to mention, it was one of the only times that Gaara and Sasuke had spent the whole time without Shikamaru. Having spent it with Itachi, Sakura had a lot to share as well. So the four agreed to meet up at the end of school and just lie on the grass outside the library with a pile of riceballs. For the first time in two weeks, they were all able to relax and just hang out. For the raven, seeing Shikamaru and Sakura properly was a relief after such an agonising holiday. It felt like he was finally able to put down a ton of bricks that he'd been lugging around for the entire duration of two weeks. So with relaxed shoulders, he dumped the box of riceballs onto the grass and let his body collapse next to them. The other three did the same, flopping into a vague circle around the food. Warm winds that blew away the dark clouds rolled along their backs. Shikamaru yawned and Sakura smiled drowsily at him.

"Well this is just great," she mumbled, catching his yawn. "I feel like we haven't seen each other in such a long time." The brunet smiled back, his eyelids drooping.

"Yeah, I know. It was so troublesome having to entertain my five-year-old cousin all break." For a moment, his smile seemed to fade. But it evaporated completely as his eyes met two black wells. "Sasuke, I have to ask you something. Did Tenten do anything to make you think she's still into you during P.E. today?"

"Hn…" huffed the raven, reaching out for a riceball. Earlier he hadn't really noticed Tenten, because throughout most of the game she was either behind him or under Rock and Zaku. It was possible she was staring at his ass the whole time, but maybe not. "…not really." Gaara let out a sharp, irritable breath as Shikamaru nodded.

"That's good," the dog muttered. "She seemed interested enough on our dates so I think I might be in the clear."

"Oh, you are so not in the clear," uttered the cherry blossom with half lidded and somewhat skeptical eyes. The brunet's expression snapped as he gently but angrily hit the girl's shoulder.

"Seriously! Can't I get a girlfriend without all of you bringing up Gaara's sister?" he cried, eyebrow twitching. "I'm not talking about this, so stop already! I've been itching to hear about the whole Sasuke-Naruto love affair." Two green eyes lit up and shot over to the snake's now hidden face as he planted it in the ground in exacerbation.

"There is no 'love'," he asserted. "It's so obvious he only wants to be friends. I cracked a joke about Shibari and he just looked sick." Sakura gawped at him, her riceball dangling pointlessly from her fingers.

"You made a joke?" she gasped, still staring at the raven.

"You made a joke about Shibari, more to the point," Shikamaru added dryly, taking a bite from his riceball. "Slut." The mouse sniggered.

"I bet it wasn't even funny." Sasuke gave her a filthy look, making her recoil slightly. "Hey, if you can't take a joke, you can't make a joke."

"Ts," he sneered, ripping a fistful of grass out of the ground. "You two are straight. Clueless. You're clueless."

"No, no. We get it, Sasuke. It's harder for a guy to seduce another guy than to seduce a chick," said the girl, massaging some grass into the python's hair. The venomous snake swatted her away and patted it off his head.

"He's not camp like you, but that doesn't mean he's not gay," Gaara added, inadvertently downplaying the raven. "All his friends are gay. He could well be." Sakura shook her head.

"No, that doesn't quite work. For every gay person in our group there's a straight person. So if Deidara and Sasori are together, then Naruto and Tobi must be straight," she put in.

"What about Neji?" asked Sasuke, trying not to glance at the lizard.

"He's straight," the redhead stated. At this, the dog chuckled before waving a disagreeing finger.

"He's about as straight as Sasuke eating sausages." The snake looked up at him dangerously from his riceball, before taking a slow, menacing bite. To his dismay, Shikamaru saw this action and snickered. "Or riceballs."

"You realise that only makes it less likely that Naruto is gay," Sakura muttered, resting her pouting head in her palms.

"Just in terms of this group, let's pretend that it began with Gaara. Then he meets Shikamaru and they become friends. Then at high school, you meet me, and then we meet Sakura. According to the pattern, if Naruto is becoming our friend then he is gay," claimed the raven, hoping that his would be the last word. The cherry blossom frowned at him.

"You know, half the time I have no idea what the fuck you're on about." The snake let out a tired sigh.

"What did you do in Okinawa?" he asked flatly, not really sure whether he actually cared what the answer would be. As the attention from Sasuke suddenly fell on the mouse, she found herself blushing at the three sets of eyes. Laughing nervously, she twirled her hands.

"Oh just stuff, y'know," she told them, an awkward smile on her face. "Itachi and I really had a great time and he got me into fishing and shellfish hunting. We didn't catch much, but we got to talk lots."

"That's interesting, because you two are quite different, aren't you?" he asked, completely innocently. But his three friends snapped to him as though he was challenging her like the last time.

"Uh, yeah. But we bounce off one another," Sakura continued, eyeing up her friend's expression. "I can't really explain it, but it just works between us."

"Hn. So you are happy." The girl bit her tongue, waiting for an onslaught, but it never came. "You want to be with hi…" he began, but his voice disappeared into nothingness as he remembered. Deep down, could he really be stronger than Itachi? Sakura already knew what she wanted, and so Sasuke thought he did as well. All he wanted was to revive the good and values of his clan, and of course to be with Naruto. But when he thought harder, perhaps this was all that he needed. As one with potential, then he should have the freedom to think about what he really wants as well. But to surpass Itachi? "Sakura, how is it? Being with the one you care about, I mean."

"Are you kidding? It's great," she told him enthusiastically. If he were out for a pep talk, she would be more than happy to give it to him.

"But does it make everything else seem insignificant? Does it wash away ambition?" he pressed. The answer she gave him at this point could be pivotal.

"Of course it doesn't," the cherry blossom said, almost laughing at the suggestion. "I think I know what you're getting at. It wouldn't matter how close I was to someone, I would still have to balance it with what matters. I know what makes me happy, and I'd never let another get in the way of that." Gaara sent his friend a straight but sharp gaze.

"Sasuke, why are you asking her this?" The raven swallowed. The lizard appeared calm, but Sasuke could sense the worry in his voice. For once, he chose to ignore the redhead. Even though he knew this would only make Gaara angry, he had to. It would be easier than lying in this case. Or so he thought. "Sasuke." Still, the snake was silent.

"Hey, Sasuke!" Shikamaru barked into his ear, making him flinch.

"It's none of your business why I'm asking!" he snapped, swatting the dog away. "Gaara, can you stop trying to read me? It's so damn annoying."

"Sasuke," Sakura murmured warningly. Next to her, the normally straight-faced lizard was beginning to sneer.

"I don't read you, you asshole. I just suspect you of being treacherous." The girl and the brunet gasped, turning to stare at Gaara. Wasn't he supposed to be Sasuke's best friend? Now he was sneering at the viper in disgust.

"W-what are you talking about?" stuttered the raven, totally taken aback by the redhead's sudden hostility. Even in his thoughts, he wasn't treacherous. "I thought you agreed with my opposition to Fugaku." A pang of betrayal rang in Sasuke's gut as Gaara snorted.

"You don't even realise how far gone you are yet, and I'm sick of it. It's all your father's fault." Face twisted with confusion, the raven fought for words but could find none.

"Gaara? What do you mean?" whispered the mouse with her green eyes open wide.

"Actually, I kind of know what he means." Sasuke's eyes snapped to Shikamaru as his chest was dealt a fresh blow. "You're acting weak and you're letting him get to you. Before, because you were focused on Naruto, I didn't think it was so bad. But when it leaks through, it's actually pretty concerning," the brunet told him, not breaking eye contact for even a second. Beneath the hurt that was building in his chest, the raven felt a flicker of anger. So Shikamaru and Gaara had found a 'serious issue' with Sasuke to bitch about behind his back. And now they were condescending to him.

"Last year Itachi told me that you were going to change for the worse, and I didn't believe him. But I do now." The words from the lizard hit the snake like a tank of petrol. There was only a short pause as Sakura watched in horror, before the spark caught alight. Rice crumbled onto the ground as Sasuke crushed it in his shaking hand. His dark eyes were on the redhead, dripping with potent toxins.

"So you and Itachi have been conspiring, have you?" he spat, unable to control the shaking rage that was burning in his chest. "And you say I'm the one that's like my father! You, just like him, are undermining me!" Sakura felt herself shrinking away, as the sadness she had seen in her friend's eyes transformed to animosity. His lips were pulled into a horrible snarl, and his canines began to lengthen. However, the redhead seemed unfazed and held his ground. "Say I'm weak all you like! Call me cowardly and tell me I'm worthless! Go ahead!" he roared, making a few passersby glare at him. Glaring furiously at Gaara and panting heavily, Sasuke waited for the redhead to make his reply.

"Itachi said you are too weak. Stop proving it." A low, thunderous growl emanated from the viper as he slowly pulled himself up. The anger burning in his dark eyes could've destroyed cities.

"Please, Sasuke… Gaara. Don't fight," pleaded Sakura, worried eyes moving between them. Shikamaru simply sighed and closed his eyes.

"Hn," hissed the raven, still leering dangerously at the lizard. "I'm leaving anyway." No one stopped him as he ripped his bag off the ground and slammed it over his shoulder. Fists trembling and fangs still longer than usual, the miserable boy stomped shakily off down the footpath, back in the direction of school. Gaara watched him leave, his face serious but not upset or angry. When he noticed Shikamaru and Sakura staring at him, he exhaled sharply.

"I made it worse," he stated, as the brunet rolled his eyes.

Sasuke whipped around the corner as the blood pounded through his ears. _So that's how it is! They think I'm weak… all this time that they've known me, and they think that. I will destroy father for what he's done, and I will surpass my brother for what he hasn't, and nothing will stop me. This is what I want! I am the strongest Uchiha and I will take my rightful place! That's what you get Itachi. This is your punishment for thinking yourself so much better than me._ At first he wasn't sure where his legs were taking him. But as the streets became familiar, he knew. Now that he had figured out what he wanted, he was going to take it. Orochimaru could help him. In his chest his heart was beating feverishly, but despite his rage, he felt good. No. He felt fantastic. Exhilaration tore through his body as he came to terms with his decision.

"This is my purpose," he muttered, a small smile breaking out on his grey face. The more he nurtured the idea in his mind the stronger it became. He was destined to head the Uchiha family, and all their affiliates and subordinates. If he let anything get in his way and could not carry out his purpose, then he shouldn't have been born, as his father so often told him. As the school gates neared, the raven felt his legs moving him even more quickly. Teachers didn't usually leave the school grounds until one or two hours after the students, so he had time. But he was anxious to see what Orochimaru could offer him. By the time he reached the path to the main doors, he was racing. He slammed into them and began to jog down the corridor, his eyes flicking wildly from classroom to classroom, even though he knew that the P.E. teacher wouldn't be in any of the classes. Suddenly he skidded to a halt, as a figure appeared in the corner of his eye. Backtracking, he peered into the classroom window. It was Kakashi, legs up on the desk and pen in hand. There was a pile of work for him to mark, but looking at the paper covered in doodles in front of the man, Sasuke could see that his Judo coach wasn't quite on track. Just as he was about to continue down the corridor, the silvery haired teacher looked up and spotted him.

"Oh, Sasuke," came his voice from behind the door. Seemingly grateful for a distraction, Kakashi leapt from his seat and dashed to open the door. The raven sighed impatiently as the door clicked open and his teacher began to address him. "What are you still doing here? And why are your fangs showing? It's pretty bizarre to have them just poking out like that."

"Hn," Sasuke muttered, hastily retracting them. "I was just looking for Orochimaru-sensei." The man frowned.

"What, so you could bite him?"

"No. Just to talk to him," he replied, still looking up and down the corridor. "Do you know where he is?"

"Yeah. I saw him in the old gym. He either has a key, or…" they shared a suspicious look. "Speaking of which," Kakashi continued, suddenly serious, "did you hear? Last term some hooligans broke in, smashed the lights and left trails of blood all over the place." The snake swallowed sharply and put on a mock concerned face.

"Oh. Who would do something so terrible?" The teacher raised an eyebrow at Sasuke's pitiful attempt to lie.

"Yeah. Don't do that again. I hope you didn't kill anyone – or was that your blood?" When the raven tried but failed to answer, the man went on. "Don't worry about it. But before you go back, let me warn you: Orochimaru is trouble."

"Hn," he sighed, itching to get to the gym. "I know. Thank-you sensei." Kakashi looked back forlornly at his pile of work, and then back to Sasuke again.

"Alright. See you tomorrow last period." No sooner had the words left his lips, the raven bolted off around the corner. "Yup. What an asshole."

Great. So Orochimaru was at the old gym. He rocketed through the changing rooms and across the gym, tearing open the door onto the field. There he was, finally taking control of his life. A mad grin found its way to his face, even as he tried to hold it in. Just past the gym was the old gym, and as the paint-flecked building began to loom, he slowed to a jog. Kakashi better have been right. He shuddered in hunger as he came to the door. This would be the greatest decision he'd ever made before by far. Glancing around him quickly, he stepped right up to the glass on the door and pressed his face up to see inside.

"Shit!" he gasped, leaping back in terror and surprise. Two glassy eyes were staring back at him.

"Hello, Uchiha-san," it said, the insipid smile spreading across its sickly white face. "So I did hear someone coming." Heart suddenly aching from all the surprises and realisations, Sasuke clapped a hand to his chest and he glared at the terrifying face staring back at him.

"I'm sorry, Orochimaru-sensei," he told him quite insincerely. "Please let me in. I need to talk to you."

"Why don't you come in yourself?" drawled Orochimaru, narrowing his eyes.

"But the door's locked." The teacher's lip twitched.

"So it is. Thank you for stating the obvious." Sasuke let out a low hiss as his brow furrowed. "I have a suspicion about you. So come on in – it should be a cinch for you. But if it isn't, well then you aren't worth my time anyway." As the raven processed this proposition, his eyes began to widen. The only way to get into the old gym was by transforming. He'd checked about a million times, but short of knocking down the door, there really was no way to break in. But if revealing his powers were necessary to have this consult with Orochimaru, then he really had no choice. Suddenly, his face reverted from vague astonishment back to deadly serious, and he gave the creature a quick nod of understanding before moving back around the building to where he could find brick sized hole in the wall. Not even hesitating for a moment, he allowed his body to shrink to form a smooth black snake. This must be what that strange P.E. teacher intended. As he slinked through the hole, he could taste an unusual flavour in the air. Looking around as he lost traction on the floorboards, he tried to spot Orochimaru. Soon enough, his eyes fell on the man leaning against the wall, having a laugh to himself that Sasuke couldn't hear. The raven waited for his teacher to gesture to him to revert to his human form before morphing back.

"Alright," he snickered, stroking his square chin. "What did you want?" The onyx-eyed boy paused, carefully thinking over the man's highly purposeful question.

"I want everything," he said finally, fixing the creature with a deep, dark stare. "I want power, strength, superiority… everything."

"Well I'm not going to lie," Orochimaru slurred with a dark smile, "I can unlock this potential and make you very strong." These words cut into Sasuke's brain like a freezing knife, but when he shuddered it was in ecstasy. "Of course, you'll have to pay for any 'lessons' that I give you to make you powerful."

"Anything you want," the snake replied straight away. "Money; work; anything."

"Someone's desperate, aren't they?" sniggered the creature, taking a few steps toward the boy. "Let me look at you closer." With a small nod from the raven, the creature began to scan the boy and circle him, occasionally running cold, bony fingers along his shoulder or through his hair. "Normal height for your age. More than usually handsome and slender. But quite well built under there, and I've heard Kakashi mention your prowess in martial arts. Intelligent, too I believe. Highly undervalued." The breath hitched in Sasuke's throat at these last words, and Orochimaru paused. "And… you have the ability to transform into a serpent. Something we have in common."

"But I'm still lacking," the snake muttered bitterly. "What would you have me do?"

"I need you to work for me," came a gentle hiss, making the back of the raven's neck prickle. "I'm a criminal, you see, and I take all the help I can get if it's trustworthy." Though not entirely surprised, the dark-haired boy felt his heart turn heavy at this.

"I'm… not sure… if I," he mumbled, suddenly fidgeting with his fingers. If he said no, he could be in trouble at this point. But did he want to say no? The man snickered again and cupped a chilling hand to Sasuke's warm cheek, making him shiver.

"How about an incentive? If you call me master, and do all that I ask of you…" he began. As the hand slipped from his cheek, the presence behind him seemed to be growing, and his mind was screaming at his legs to run. But whatever this power was, the power that his eyes were too afraid to gaze upon, he wanted it – badly. Orochimaru's voice began to change, transforming slowly from monotonous and terrifying to a slurring, blood curdling hiss. "…then I'll show you how to become assss powerful assss I am, and to be the ssssstrongessst Uchiha ever to breathe." Warm breath pounded onto his back, blowing his bangs out in front of his face. A heavy, scraping noise resonated through the building like scales sliding on wood. Adrenaline and fear boiling in his blood, the young viper couldn't help but let out an explosive but short laugh at the realisation of what the beast had done. Not sure if it really was an incentive as the man had told him or merely a threat, Sasuke turned calmly to the giant, writhing serpent before him with a nasty grin.

"Show me everything you know," he drawled, ignoring the cold sweat dripping from his brow as he watched the swarming mass of flesh and fangs, "and I'll do anything you ask, master."

"Goooood," it hissed, watching in satisfaction as the boy sank to his knees in respect of its power. "Ssssoon you will sssee the magic that makessss people like usss ssssstrong, and with it you can achieve anything." Basking in the glorious offers made by the beast, the boy clawed back through his recent memories of meeting Orochimaru that day, thinking how fortunate he had been. But suddenly, the thought of the abuse and disapproval the deity had laid on the fox entered his mind, and he found himself glaring sharply into the huge yellow eyes.

"Master, I still don't understand why you only see potential in me," he stated. The serpent hissed and narrowed its eyes, as its body slid heavily along the floor. "I know lots of others who can transform just like me. Naruto Uzumaki, for example. They could benefit from your knowledge."

"A frieeend of yoursss, I sssupposssse?" it purred, with the faintest smile on its reptilian lips. "Not everyone hassss your ability. I can tassste ssstrength, and you have it in sssspadesss, where otherssss don't. There are many people who can change shape in thisss ssschool, but you are the ssstrongessst. The ressst are weak and merely inherited a gene." As Sasuke listened to the slow speech of the monster, he felt a breath of disbelief escape him. Naruto was so strong and brave. It wasn't the only reason that the raven loved him, but it was definitely important. To be told that it wasn't real made him grind his teeth. But if he lashed out at his master he could lose his best chance at actually doing something with his life. And just for Naruto's dignity in the eyes of someone that the fox didn't like anyway didn't seem worth it to fight.

"Yes, master."

**...To be continued... haha don't you hate that?**

**No Sasuke! Don't go over to the dark side of the force! Nah but do it makes a great story :) besides it happens in the manga/show so it's fitting that in an adaption he should do the same thing. Orochimaru's not a pervert by the way he's just... yup. TTFN ^^**


	9. Growing Thirst

**I'm so glad I'm at this part of the story :D It's got the most twists and cool plot clever stuff! By the way, I research everything I write about, and everything's there for a reason. But I'm not telling you this for any reason or anything o_o uh.. nope. Well, I guess I'm saying that you can look at what I've written and theorize at what'll happen, but just like in a detective show, I'm not gonna provide you with enough info to figure it out just yet ;D**

9 – Growing Thirst

Ring. Ring. Ring…

"Hello."

"Sasuke, it's Gaara."

"I'm not available at the moment, but leave your name and number and I'll call you back if necessary." Gaara bit his lip and waited for the beep. He'd been sure that Sasuke would answer. But if he didn't, the brick-redhead knew it was his fault.

"Sasuke, it's Gaara. Please call me. I need to apologize for the way I treated you today." That message would probably be sufficient. There wasn't anything else to add, was there? He placed the phone back on the receiver and dragged a hand down his moist brow. For once, he was the one that stuffed up.

Ring. Ring. Ring…

"Hello."

"Hey Sasuke, it's Shikamaru. Please don't hang u-"

"I'm not available at the mo-"

"Shit!" shouted the brunet, slamming the phone down onto the receiver. "Crapping shitfuck cunt wank slut in a wheelbarrow…" In all the time he'd known Sasuke, Shikamaru couldn't remember him missing phone calls. Even when he was furious with his friends, the snake would still talk to them. Yet the brunet had been calling the raven all afternoon on his cell phone, and he still hadn't picked up.

"Shikamaru Nara!" He whipped around at the piercing address to see his mother storming down the stairs toward him. "What language!"

Ring. Ring. Ring…

"Hello?"

"S-Sasuke? You're there!"

"No, it's Itachi."

"Oh," Sakura sighed, as the needle of disappointment popped her inflating heart. "Why are you answering Sasuke's cell phone?"

"It keeps ringing, and it said Haruno Sakura, so I answered."

"Where is that brother of yours, anyway?" she asked, squeezing her napkin irritably. She'd pretty much teleported away from the table the second she was excused from dinner.

"He's upstairs in father's office, getting the daily lecture. We're not allowed our phones in there." The grip on her napkin relinquished slightly as her emerald eyes widened.

"He's been in there this whole time? I've been ringing all afternoon."

"No, he's just been ignoring his calls." Worry clenched back in on her chest as she exhaled slowly. "Listen, Sakura, you need to be careful of Sasuke. Every time he comes back from talking to father he seems to be a little worse."

"Itachi, I really don't know what you mean. It's not very nice to gang up on Sasuke because Fugaku-sama abuses him," she grumbled, frowning at an innocent jewellery box.

"I mean that father is making him lose sight of what's important. This worries me. Please, help him to focus on Naruto so that he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Itachi," Sakura growled warningly, "tell me straight – what do you mean? How has he 'changed'? You know you can trust me."

"Oh, I do trust you! Of course I do, Sakura. I thought I already explained this to you."

"Well you didn't." If there was something wrong with her friend, she was prepared to get annoyed with anyone. That included Itachi.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Ah, shit. I'll have to tell you later. Sasuke's coming back down."

"What? Oh okay. Don't forget, sweetheart."

"Right. Bye." Not waiting for a reply, Itachi quickly tore the phone from his ear and turned off the screen. As Sasuke thundered down the stairs and swung into the lounge room, his phone was tactfully exactly where he left it. His dark eyes fell on the device, and then snapped to Itachi, who was reading the paper. That damn phone had been ringing all afternoon.

"Don't answer my phone, nii-san," he sighed, plodding over to the table and plucking it up in his fingers.

"I didn't," his brother muttered back, as his eyes scanned over an article concerning sightings of an escaped wolf in downtown Tokyo. "It seems that someone saw Kakashi. He needs to be more careful."

"Ts. Actually, you did, Itachi," the raven retorted, his lip twitching in irritation that the liar tried to change subject. "You always tuck your hair behind your ear if you talk on the phone."

"Oh yeah. Oops," he said dryly.

"I hope you had fun – you know, bitching about me to my friends." A frown fell across the elders face. He looked up slowly from the paper, allowing his stern glare to meet Sasuke's. "Hn. You think I'm fragile, don't you?" Itachi shifted his weight a little in his seat. There was defiance in his brother's black eyes. But the young snake snarled from time to time, and it was clear that he was in a foul mood. What really made the dusty-black haired boy stop breathing was something new.

"Nii-chan," he began, but wasn't sure how to confront Sasuke on this. He wasn't even sure if he should. No. If it were really contempt that he saw, then it would be selfish to try and remove it. Sasuke had every right to want to challenge him. Yet, the thought that he would do that stung a little. "Be careful." The raven snorted.

"Likewise, _nii-san_."

Sasuke swallowed a gust of air, before letting it all out in a heavy sigh. As per usual, all eyes were on him. Most of them were lustful and admiring, and accompanied by more than usually sentimental squeals. That morning he'd been cornered by Ino on his way to school. She'd been handing out flyers for a rave, and as soon as she saw the dark-love-god her eyeballs popped out of her skull, and she sprinted over to him, swiping his hands into hers. Too stunned to punch her in the face, he was helpless as she thrust a flyer into his bag and asked him to go with her. Shaking his head, he'd told her flatly to fuck off and continued on his way. Other eyes were full of disgust. Somehow, people still weren't over the gossip. It could've been worse, though. The raven hadn't even seen Deidara or his mind slaves since going to the lake. A smirk had tottered on his lips as he thought of all the terrible things he'd do to them once he was strong. No one throws him into the water. But neither lustful eyes nor eyes full of disgust made him grind his teeth like worried eyes of his three friends as he entered calculus class. If he really were in a bad mood, then seeing them like that would've pleased him. As his friends, they should worry about him.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" he grumbled, taking his usual seat between Gaara and Shikamaru. Their eyes had followed him all the way from the door and were still cutting into him. He shot a pointed glare to the redhead. "Stop being weird."

"I'm sorry for the way I spoke to you yesterday. It was uncalled for," the lizard told him, desperately holding eye contact with the raven.

"That's okay." Gaara blinked. Sasuke was smiling at him – genuinely, warmly smiling at him. "I mean," he chuckled, patting his shoulder, "I probably needed that wakeup call." Fidgeting a little in his seat, the redhead swallowed.

"Are you sure you're okay? I was horrible to you." The raven merely shrugged.

"Yeah. Shouldn't you be angry, not scarily happy?" asked Shikamaru with a cynical eyebrow raised.

"Ts. If you're worried about making it up to me, then help me improve my relationship with Naruto," he said quietly, drawing a fluffy foxtail in the top corner of his page. Convincing his friends that he was still only interested in pursuing the fox and nothing else would be easy.

"Actually, that we can do." A flicker of surprise crossed Sasuke's subdued eyes as he looked up at Sakura across the table. The cherry blossom lowered herself onto her elbows and watched her friend out of the corner of her eye. "He's going to the rave next Friday night. " The snake pouted at her with half lidded eyes.

"I'm not going to that shit." Sakura sneered and shook her head crankily at him.

"And he's asked us to ask you if you wanted to go with him." After a short pause, there was a blur of movement from the raven as he bit down to stop his heart leaping out of his throat. Swallowing deeply, he stared at the girl with black eyes like little dots in a swamp of white.

"A-a-as in a date?" he spluttered. His hand was shaking so much that the tail was being covered by random squiggles and lines.

"I don't know about that. He just wants to spend it with you," Sakura told him happily, squeezing his shoulder supportively. A dark grin spread across Sasuke's lips.

"You know, I've been thinking about telling father the truth. It'd be so easy. Can you imagine the anger I'd make him feel? It would tear through his body like fire. It'd be great practice for telling Naruto as well."

"Nani, Sasuke?" growled Shikamaru, ripping the snake back in his seat. "Are you totally nuts? You can't tell your father, ever. He'd kick you out of your house." Unnoticed by the others, Gaara swore under his breath. Although he was sorry for confronting his friend the way he did, he stood by what he said. This boy that they were sitting with, talking to, yelling at and laughing with was not Sasuke anymore. The snake hadn't ignored the phone calls because he was upset. He ignored them simply because he knew he could cause his friends confusion and worry, and he wanted to try it out.

"Ts. I'm not going to. I was just thinking about it," muttered the raven, rolling his eyes. This change… the redhead's brow furrowed as he placed a hand on his chin. It happened too fast. Or maybe it happened slowly, but something triggered it to all fall apart. _I don't know what I can say to him._

"Hey Sakura," Shikamaru whispered to the cherry blossom, as the bell rang and the other two left the classroom. "Did Naruto really ask you to ask Sasuke out for him?" At this, the girl gave the brunet a cheeky grin.

"I haven't even talked to Naruto before. But this'll make sure that Sasuke won't chicken out. He'll ask him out without even realising," she giggled, seeing the smile of understanding on her friend's face.

The confidence Sasuke had a few days ago was nothing but a trickle of water. But with some heavy drilling, he felt as though the ground had been blown away to reveal a bubbling spring of the stuff. Orochimaru could make him strong, and then he would no longer be looked down upon by anyone. And also, now he could feel completely comfortable as he approached Naruto in the corridor, ready to accept the invitation that he'd so kindly 'received' to the rave.

As the fox shut his locker door with a heavy click, he casually brushed some of his blond hair out of his eyes. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he let out a laugh and rubbed his cheek. Man, life was looking great at the moment. Minato had been spending lots more time with Kushina over the holidays – usually his father was too busy with his very important work to be with his mother, and she'd get very lonely. What's more, her health was improving. The doctors could say all they wanted, but to Naruto it meant the world to see her with rosy cheeks again. And of course, he had to be happy that now he didn't have to despise Sasuke anymore. Even though the raven had been so unkind to him, he had always wanted to believe that it was for some stupid reason. But… The blond's smile wavered as his eyes lowered. He didn't even know why that teme did it, still. Why was he so cruel to his own friend? Naruto told himself that there must've been a good reason, but not knowing what is was could be frustrating at the least. That Sasuke… he was as complicated as a girl.

"What's the deal, Naruto?" came a sudden voice. The fox ground to a halt as he frowned thoughtfully.

"That's just what I was thinki-" he began, but paused as the very one he'd been pondering on stepped up beside him with a grin on his usually bored face. "Oh. Hi, Sasuke. Why are you so… um…"

"Hn. Dobe," he drawled, as the smile grew. Naruto couldn't help but notice that Sasuke looked a million bucks when he beamed at him like that. Most of the time he looked miserable. "I dived down into my personal hell for you, so it'd be no problem going to the rave with you next Friday." The fox paused, turning quizzically to the raven, whose large eyes narrowed as he licked his bottom lip. Swallowing quickly and biting his tongue, the blond found himself being somewhat intimidated by Sasuke. Something about the snake seemed almost flirtatious.

"Uh… What rave are you talking about, exactly?" he asked, taking a shy step away from the taller boy. Suddenly, the snake seemed to pale. The adoring smile all but flipped upside-down in a second as his dark eyes shot open in surprise. Naruto, now feeling perturbed, gave an awkward smile. "Are you okay, teme? Did I step on a landmine or something?" Shaking his head as the colour returned to his cheeks, Sasuke raised a hand to his collar and fiddled with it shyly, avoiding eye contact with the fox.

"It's nothing. Well, there's a rave next week on Friday, as I said. I was just thinking… maybe… it'd be fun if," he mumbled, as the jack-in-the-boxes in his gut started lighting fireworks. A small laugh shook the blond's shoulders as he watched the school's idol blushing deeply at him.

"If we went together, right?" the fox asked him with a cheeky smirk. "Why don't you just go with one of your fan girls?"

"Hn! Why don't I cheese grate my eyeball, too?" Sasuke snapped, his lips curling back. "Is it so wrong for me to ask you? You're supposed to spend time with me, but you're always with Deidara, Sasori and Tobi."

"You really want to go with me? I thought you just felt obliged to go with me. You didn't seem too happy with the idea when you asked," said Naruto, frowning. Terrified eyes danced momentarily on the fox's violet eyes before falling away.

"Usuratonkachi. I wouldn't ask you if I didn't want to go with you," Sasuke sniffed, his cheeks dusted pink. He was, in affect, asking someone out. "Stop acting so cool – it's demeaning." The fox's brow creased even more as his whiskers shuddered.

"If you want me to go with you, then I will," he told the raven. His voice was slow, deep and very clear. "But I'll only go if you actually want me to go with you. I don't want to be neglected or anything, otherwise I'll be pissed." Finally, the bees under the dark-haired boy's skin relented enough for a smile to rejoin his sparkling eyes.

"Hn. Naruto… you just don't get it," he drawled, his smile suddenly comfortable and firm on his gentle face. "But you don't need to understand. You only need to accept the fact that I need to be by your side now." A small gasp escaped the blond as his blue eyes widened. His cool countenance was caught completely by surprise with such sweet words from the boy who was usually so icy. And yet, there was so much more the raven wanted to say. Even if he weren't within earshot of about four other people, he still wouldn't say it. As the butterflies began to overwhelm him, Sasuke broke the gaze. He wasn't strong enough yet.

As the students got back into the swing of school life, the days began to pass them by at an increasing rate. This irritated Sasuke on a deep level. Since his first encounter with the great demon Orochimaru, there had been no work or lessons of any kind. During P.E. there was nothing more than the usual bias towards the raven and cruelness toward the others. The creature merely told him to 'be patient' and wait while things were 'being arranged' for him. Every time he thought about the power he had been offered, cold shivers ran up his spine. And these shivers intensified as he imagined his brother, Itachi, kneeling at his feet. No one could call him weak again, because he could bring all Uchihas to their knees. Only that he actually hadn't learnt anything yet.

"I hate you, bastard…" The music was pumping so loud that Sasuke barely heard what Naruto said to him, even though his ear was leaned right up by the fox's lips. "You didn't tell me that this was a date," the animal growled, yanking the taller's arm.

"It's not. What makes you think it is, dobe?" His palms beginning to sweat, the raven used the booming music as an excuse to lean in even closer to Naruto's face.

"Because all your friends are here, and all my friends are here, but you've singled me out!" he shouted into the pale ear in front of his lips, not caring that it caused the snake to reel back in surprise. "I'm going to go and say hi to my friends, and talk to you later, okay?" Upon receiving a venomous glare, the blond groaned and stomped away through the crowd toward Deidara, Sasori and Tobi. Sasuke bit his lip in dismay as the one he cared for so much abandoned him for the ones he couldn't stand.

"I should've known you'd be here." Whipping around, the raven felt a twinge of irritation in the pit of his stomach as the two sets of onyx black eyes clashed.

"Nii-san," he muttered, though not loud enough for Itachi to hear him. The annoyance grew as he eyed his brother. For some reason, the elder always outclassed him.

"Oh, hey Itachi!" Sakura's voice suddenly burst out from beside the young snake, causing his heart to almost leap from his chest. The cherry blossom immediately flung her arms around his brother's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "You look so sexy, you damn tease!" she giggled, tugging his loose black A-shirt. Sasuke snorted to himself, flicking his hair away in disapproval. He looked like a fucking pimp, showing off his toned body with such a tight and revealing top and skinny leather pants. As for the raven himself, well he had dressed up a little for the occasion. But he hadn't gone for 'sexy' like his brother had. An angry pout found his lips as Sakura turned to examine him, still clinging to Itachi.

"And you look nice too, Sasuke. Is that some kind of trench coat?" she asked him, quite innocently.

"Ts!" he hissed at her, tugging the collar of his slim-fitted Prussian blue jacket. "Of course it isn't. It only goes down to my butt, and it's soft, not a damn raincoat. It's a blazer. A blazer!"

"Oh, don't take offence," came a smooth and familiar voice, as an arm slipped around his shoulder. "It's totally hot."

"Fuck you, Shikamaru!" he roared, knocking the brunet off who was now shaking with laughter. Looking around wildly while trying to ignore the patronising looks of concern he was receiving from his brother, the snake adopted a menacing sneer. "Where the hell is Gaara?" he barked, but instead of receiving an answer from his friend, he only got a hard glare.

"He's with his sister at the bar," Sakura told him, gesturing across the dance floor to the redhead, whose hair easily stood out against the dark purples and blues in the club. "Shall we go?"

"No!" Shikamaru cried suddenly, his face flaring red. "Don't dare try to hook me up with Temari! I brought Tenten with me tonight!" Suddenly, a dark smirk spread across the snake's face as he smiled evilly up at the dog.

"Who cares? I bet she took her man with her, too. So bring Tenten and you can make it clear to her that you're no longer interested," he drawled, deeply enjoying his friend's reddening face.

"Fine!" he cried, throwing up his arms. "I'll meet you over there in a bit." With that, the poor brunet weaved away through the crowd, and his brother and Sakura began edging across the dance floor in the direction of the bar. Sasuke, however, held back.

"Hmph," he huffed, glaring furiously at the back of Sakura's head. "What a waste of energy. All of you." How much longer would he have to pretend? Amazing how quickly the value of them all could be diminished, but it only went to show how meaningless they were to begin with.

Having taken another slurp of his coke and looked up to see the lovebirds approaching him, Gaara let out an exhausted sigh. "Sasuke doesn't want anything to do with us," he stated bluntly to the girl, pushing a frustrated hand through his hair.

"I know… He just keeps his distance," she said, her green eyes swimming with pain. "I've tried being even nicer to him recently, but it's made no difference to his attitude. He just treats us like his fan girls now." Since her phone conversation with Itachi, she'd been sat down and told the situation about Sasuke's psyche. About how cold he was becoming. Itachi sighed, moving to sit with his brother's redheaded friend.

"When does it stop?" he muttered, rubbing his chin. "I was right in assuming that there was something wrong with him. But I have no idea to what extent that kid's mind has been damaged, or what the exact causes are." Unable to answer the elder raven's worries, the lizard narrowed his eyes and stared down into his coke. So many problems. Problems with his friends, with his sister, with everything. Out of the corner of his vision, he could see his sister and his sister's boyfriend's entwined fingers. He gritted his teeth. His eyes flicked up as a movement in front of him suddenly froze.

"Tenten," Shikamaru said slowly, wrenching his gaze away from the soft skinned blond chatting in a carefree way to her boyfriend, "this is Gaara, Itachi, Sakura and Temari."

"Hi!" the cute chocolate haired girl cried with a lovely smile. "It's so nice to meet you all.

"I saved you a seat, Shikamaru. Sit," Gaara said suddenly, as a Cheshire-cat grin appeared on his lips. The brunet snarled.

"You idiot. There are no free seats," he growled, but no sooner had the words left his lips did Itachi leap to his feet and make room for him to sit between the lizard and his sister. Hands suddenly shaky, the dog forced a smile and gestured for Tenten to sit, but she shook her head.

"No, no. It's for you, Shikamaru," she simpered, moving to lean against the counter on Gaara's other side. Fake smile frozen to his face like a robot, the brunet stared off into space as the redhead grabbed his waist and threw him into the seat.

"Uh…" Temari looked over her shoulder. As the sight of her ex-boyfriend sitting beside her filled her forest green eyes, her cheeks flooded red. "H-hey Shikamaru. You've met my boyfriend, haven't you?"

"Um…" Shikamaru tilted his head and stared at his duplicate, which was currently clutching the blond girl's hands. "Yes."

"Hm," said the older girl with a smile. "He was just saying how nice he thought my outfit is. What do you think?"

"Um…" The brunet cast his eyes down at the large belt that was her skirt, fighting all his instincts that tried to make him stare at her legs. It only got worse as he scanned her further up and his eyes fell on her tiny tube top that hardly covered her well-endowed chest. Tearing his eyes away from her and to the fat barman in embarrassment, he started to fidget with his fingers. "Do you usually dress like that?" he spluttered, as soon as his eyes returned to hers. Her cheeks went pink, and her dark eyes sparkled. Shikamaru was starting to feel lightheaded. Temari was with someone else, and they hadn't been together for years. What the heck was he thinking?

"No," she whispered. The brunet seemed to be completely deaf to all sound as the new boyfriend sighed. All he could hear was Temari's intensely sexy voice and the pounding of his heart in his chest.

"Ah, shit!" Gaara suddenly cried out of nowhere, as his elbow suddenly 'slipped' on the counter, thereby solving one of his problems.

"Ack!" the brunet gasped, as a force knocked him forward. His hands flew out to Temari for support, but they were so close already that they didn't get any further than… His heart throbbed and he tried to swallow, but all of a sudden his mouth felt like sandpaper. A hand gripped the back of his head and pulled him hard into Temari's lips. "Mmph…"

Tenten groaned and rolled her eyes. She was annoyed, but really she had seen this was coming. That idiot. His hands were clamped on her breasts and his tongue was down her throat at this point, and frankly, even Temari's boyfriend seemed relieved. Gaara smirked at her.

"Don't worry about it," he told her with a gentle smile. "You could probably do better than him anyway."

"Mm… Temari…" the brunet growled, quickly losing himself.

"Yup," she sighed, watching as the kiss became progressively more feverish. "I can't say I'm surprised. I was just dating him to get closer to Sasuke, but that didn't really work at all, did it?"

"Not at all," snickered the redhead. Tenten directed him a cynical smile.

"Thanks a lot, funny guy," she sneered. Nothing more to do or to say, she left the group to find her own friends again.

As for Sasuke, he chose to follow Naruto fairly soon after Itachi and Sakura had gone to the bar. His interest in them was all but gone. Weak, ambitionless spirits were nothing to him anymore. The fox was standing with the ferret outside the back door, and he could see wisps of smoke twisting through the air. As unappealing as it would be to have to breath in that second hand crap, the raven was determined to have some time with Naruto tonight. He grit his teeth and pushed through a group of teens blocking his path. Seriously, even though he was cross that Sakura tricked him, he was still glad to have an opportunity. But for the blond to waste the evening with those morons would be totally unacceptable. Frustrations building in the young man's chest, people were in shock as he practically threw them out of his way until he reached the door.

"Naruto!" he hissed, shoving Deidara into the brick wall, making him splutter out his cigarette. The whiskered boy stared at Sasuke in disbelief.

"What? That was nasty, teme!" he snapped, gesturing to the disgruntled ferret. Suddenly, the raven brushed past Sasori and Tobi and swept himself right up to the blond. Naruto glowered darkly at him. "I was coming back. Seriously, what's up with you? You're behaving more sadistically than usual." The snake narrowed his eyes. A hand slammed onto his shoulder, and a smell of smoke filled his nostrils.

"You're so rude, Uchiha. What's wrong with you? Pushing people around like you own the place, un." Sasuke let out a low hiss as the ferret rediscovered his ability to taunt the dark-eyed boy.

"Deidara," Naruto moaned, covering his eyes with his hand. "No one asked you."

"Ts," said the raven, brushing away the longhaired boy. Then, as he took a step away from the fox he stumbled, bumping Deidara behind him.

"Hey! Lay off!" he barked, raising his fists, but the snake only smirked at him, all the while slipping a cigarette into his back pocket. If he got a chance, he would quickly inject it with venom and slip it back. A few weeks in hospital would teach that idiot not to piss him off.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, dobe," he simpered, his hand finding and clasping the fox's shoulder. Naruto raised an eyebrow and folded his arms. "I wanted to make sure you weren't mad at me. So let me buy you a drink and we hang out, un? Like best friends should," he suggested, stealing the longhaired blond's favourite catchphrase.

"Uh," the other blond mumbled, his tanned cheeks tinting slightly. "I don't know if we're… best…" Well, it was hard to argue this one. They knew enough of each other to be best friends. It was true that they'd only been friends for a few weeks. But at the same time it was as though they'd been friends forever. And Sasuke's eyes were so big and sparkly… he was being manipulative. "Don't bat your eyelids at me, you Mary Sue. Just buy me my drink." A huge grin split across his white face and his black eyes grew even more.

"Great!" he cried, clamping down on the fox's arm.

"Ah!" the fox gasped, as he was yanked back around the corner. "S-Sasuke!" Sasori blinked slowly as the flailing boy was dragged back into the club by the mentally disturbed raven.

"What a fag," he murmured, taking back his previous 'homophobe' comments in his mind. Two brown eyes flicked up as his lover suddenly held out a cigarette. "I said 'what a fag', not 'want a fag', idiot."

Naruto bit his lip and watched uncomfortably as the partygoers shot vicious looks toward his friend. Why did Sasuke have to be so obnoxious? And the raven was gripping the blond's arm so tightly that it was starting to sting.

"Hey," he whined, trying to wrench off the snakes fingers, but to no avail. "You don't have to be so possessive." As the words caught the raven's ears, he slowed gently to a halt and his fingers relaxed. Weary curiosity filled the blond's eyes as he pulled his arm back and the snake's hand dropped away.

"If I'm possessive, it's your own fault," Sasuke muttered, as his feet continued to move him toward the bar. The words hit Naruto in the chest like a lump of ice. What did that mean? He began to pout, but continued after the raven until they were able to sit down by the barman. Purposely pulling his stool closer to the dark-haired boy, the blond leaned in to watch the snake's eyes. They were… black, deep, wavering and miserable. That was something that never seemed to change. Even when they were kids, Sasuke's eyes were still the same. "I'm possessive because I don't want to be separated from you again," he said, staring blankly at the table. His voice was riddled with pain. It was low and sometimes rasping. It hit the blond in the heart and made it ache. "If… I thought that it couldn't happen again I wouldn't act like this. But as time passes, it becomes clear that you're too strong for me to have meaning to you. It's so obvious to me that we should try to repair what we had, but you don't seem interested. You don't care if we're friends or not."

"I don't care...?" Naruto's eyes widened. "I didn't make you face your fears as some sick joke, teme." Sasuke shot him a sharp look. It wasn't angry, but it was serious, and almost painful, like he was searching for an answer. "It matters that you're changing for me. It really does. But at the moment, I don't really know what I can say to you." The raven's gaze darted up as he heard Gaara cry out across the table.

"Ts." Shikamaru's face turned to panic as he reached out for Temari's chest, while her expression changed to one of excitement, and she grabbed his head and smashed his lips into hers. It was about damn time. "Usuratonkachi. You can say anything to me that you like. I'm not turning my back on you anymore." His onyx eyes moved slowly back to Naruto and his heart panged. The fox's lips were shaking and his eyes looked watery. "What is it?" Just as the blond's lips parted to answer, a sharp beeping coming from the raven's pocket cut him off. "Oh. I better get this," the snake drawled, standing up and pulling his phone out of his pocket. As he stared down at the bright screen it took a second for his eyes to adjust from the dim light. _Hello, Uchiha-san. Everything is set. Be at the Haruno warehouse in fifteen minutes for your first mission. Don't be late._ Suddenly, Sasuke's heart was pounding feverishly in his chest. Wiping some sweat from his palms on his jeans, he ran over the message again. There was a prickle in his arm as Naruto leaned forward to see what the text said, and he tore it away.

"What does it say?" he asked, completely unaware of its meaning. The snake swallowed. Even if it meant he had to be a criminal in order to achieve strength, it was still worth it. He slammed the phone back into the pocket of his blazer and gave the fox an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. We can catch up later, but I have to go."

"What?" the blond cried, leaping to his feet as his sad eyes began to brim with hurt. "Start making sense, damn you!" Sasuke sighed.

"I'm sorry."

"You bastard!" Naruto continued to roar, as the raven turned his back and headed directly for the door. "Quit messing me around…" The fox slumped back onto his ass and watched his friend leaving. Sasuke had a good point. Only the snake was really making a proper effort to get them to spend time together. But he was wrong about the whisker-marked boy not caring. He inhaled shakily, before letting out a long, deep sigh. What was he supposed to do? It was easier to act like he hated the raven, than to be with him again. All he had to do before was stay away, but now… Sasuke was so much stronger than he was to bite the bullet and try to make things right again. It was something that the blond just didn't have the guts to do. Naruto had missed his friend so deeply that it was too painful for him to try again. What if the same thing happened again? He wouldn't be able to cope – hatred wouldn't be enough anymore. That's why he had to make it so difficult for the snake to pass his tests – because it mattered to him so much to be with Sasuke. So much. And now that bastard was telling him that he didn't care? Well that was a misconception that he'd just have to put right. Because if he was in the raven's shoes at this point, and felt as neglected as he did, he would want to leave the room too.

Sasuke wasn't accustomed to traveling without a chauffeur, but he had been on the Tokyo metro a few times when cars hadn't been available for him, and it was killer easy to use. He also had a GPS on his phone, and subsequently very little difficulty in getting out to the ports from the Shibuya-Ku ward of the city. It only took him ten minutes in the underground, but as he came out the other end, the warehouse was still another ten minutes walk. Darting across the road at the crossing, he ran across the open concrete of the docks, totally exposed and bathed in the glow of streetlamps.

"Hey!" called a shipping officer, who was leaning against the wall of one of the warehouses. "What the hell are you doing here at this time of night?" Thinking fast, Sasuke slowed a little and put a hand to his face, as if he was trying to stop himself from being recognised.

"I'm late for my shift!" he yelled quickly, before dashing off again. The officer shrugged and watched the boy disappear off behind one of the buildings. It was a good enough excuse for him. Panting heavily from the adrenaline rush of almost being caught, Sasuke sighed in relief as the darkness swallowed him up. Straight away, he shrunk down into a black serpent and slithered at high speeds in the direction of the Haruno warehouse. Hopefully, whatever this mission was, he wouldn't be stabbing Sakura too much in the back… heck; what was he thinking? He shook is head. If he was going to become strong enough to have everything he desired, then he had to forget about them. Unnecessary attachment to those people would only make it harder. As he drew nearer to the warehouse, he felt a chill creep up his long spine. That taste… it was the same strange flavour he'd encountered at the beginning of the term. Of course, it must be Orochimaru. It didn't feel like a normal human. His oil black body disappeared in and out of shadows like a flicker. Even if someone looked straight at him, they'd have assumed it was their eyes playing tricks on them. But as he darted around the corner, the two snake-like amber eyes knew exactly where to look. Sasuke retook human form the second he reached the creature, a sly smile on his face. "I got here as fast as I could. You know how much I've been itching to get started?" Orochimaru smirked.

"I think I do." Casting a quick glance behind him, the raven slunk into the shadow of the building and lowered his voice.

"What will you have me do, master?" he asked him softly. The man with exceptionally pale skin narrowed his eyes, before holding out a crinkled piece of paper. Taking it gently in his hands, the young snake opened it out and squinted in the dark. All it was was two triangles forming a diamond with a line cutting vertically through the middle. The diamond was inside a large circle and inside it was a smaller circle. "It looks like… a snake's eye," he murmured, running his finger across it.

"Indeed. It is a magical artefact – a medallion. That symbol represents ascension," the creature told him smoothly. The raven opened his mouth to ask what this meant, but Orochimaru cut across him. "Ascension is the ultimate gain of power. It is achieving the power of a heavenly being without dying." So he's one of those, Sasuke thought irritably to himself. Magic bullcrap.'

"Hn," he snorted, raising an eyebrow at the demon. "You actually believe in that?"

"Don't be a fool," the snake-like being hissed, as his slits sharpened. "You use magic all the time. I gained my power through this artefact. Once I had learnt everything I could from it I discarded it. I sold it to a dealer – someone who would not know anything of its power. But our leader has suggested that we could recapture it and you could use it. After that, we could resell it. It's worth a lot of money, as it's very old and made of gold." Snorting, the raven pushed the paper away.

"If it's in here, you can teach me your ways without this crap about magic."

"Ha," the monster said, the insipid smile returning to his lips. "There is no other way, Uchiha-san. I did not believe in its power either, until I had it myself. Its energy flowed into me and it unlocked abilities I didn't know I had. You saw the form I took. No ordinary shape shifter can do that." Sasuke stared down at the image with rapidly diminishing cynicism. Could it really be magic? Come to think of it, often he'd wondered why there were ever humans who could morph into animals, and couldn't find an explanation. There was no explanation. The idea of ascension was really no more ridiculous than the idea of morphing into animals. "Do remember when you first changed into a snake?"

"I…" he murmured, clamping his eyes shut.

"Remember that feeling. You had the power to do it. And there was one other element that was essential for you to unlock your strength." That moment was very clear in Sasuke's memory. When he was four, he was trying to hide from his father in a closet that was too small. So he decided to change into an animal so that he could fit.

"For some reason… I believed that I could do it. It was naïve of me, but I just assumed that if I wanted to I could." Swallowing deeply, and opening his eyes, he stared back down at the paper. "So I did." Flinching as a cold hand came down onto his shoulder, he edged away from Orochimaru.

"So you did. You have potential because you want power, you believe in it, and you have the blood of the Uchihas pounding through your veins. Understanding of this is the magic you need to seek what you desire." Cool breath hit the Sasuke's warm neck as the demon leaned in to his ear. "Do you believe, Uchiha-san?"

"Hn." He blinked down at the page. Suddenly, a deep craving filled in the pit of his chest. A craving for the medallion. He wanted it. He needed it. "I'm going… to go get it now." A smile of satisfaction slunk across the creature's lips.

"Mind that you do. It took a lot of string pulling to get it back from the States," he said, taking the picture back off the young snake. "It should be in the small packages section in box ninety-three. Bring it to me on Saturday morning in the old gym and I will teach you to use it safely." Sasuke hissed in understanding before immediately shrinking back into his snake form. This was going to be so easy. Stealing such a small thing from the Harunos' would be nothing, and he'd gain so much. The ecstasy that he was feeling was making him faster as he found a tiny air vent on the wall and slipped through. Blazing lights blinded him for a second, and the snake sat dazzled on the concrete floor, but in a flash he was gone again, scouring the signs for the one that directed him to the 'small packages' section. Over the other side of the room he could taste two men. From what he could tell from the vibrations in the ground, they were unloading heavy goods. Sasuke let out a sigh of relief. It would've been bad if they were taking stuff out. Honestly, this first mission was no sweat for the snake. Particularly when he compared to when he did a very similar task, only he couldn't breathe, it was pitch black, things tried to eat him and he was scared shitless – oh and the thing he was looking for wasn't even actually there. If the snake could have, he would've sniggered. And a crummy pendant wasn't going to provide him with godlike powers. He shivered. It was beckoning him, he could tell. Drawing him in. His eyes flicked to the next sign and a spark of excitement jumped his engine to push him even faster. _Small Packages_. Forget surpassing Itachi. Forget surpassing his father. This artefact could be the key for him to surpass god himself. _Box seven, twelve, twenty-two, thirty-nine, fifty-six_… Eyes wildly scanning the towers of wooden crates, he slowed right down. His heart was beating almost audibly in his chest. He was so close… it was driving him insane. _Ninety-three! There it is! It's mine!_ Not even bothering to check his surroundings, he morphed back into a human, dashing madly for the box and hauling it onto the ground. He didn't need a crowbar to overcome some nails. His amazing grip wasn't going to let go of the top as his muscles strained to dislodge it. Fuck, it was nailed on hard. But the raven was able to quietly and painfully pull it off, and he placed it noiselessly on top of another stack of crates.

"Shit," he muttered, staring down at the sawdust. If that got up his nose… He might literally have strong arms, but his sinuses were pathetic. Carefully he reached into the box and groped around in the grainy sneeze powder, arching his head to keep it away. Suddenly, his hand brushed cold metal, and he lashed out and grabbed it, before tearing it out of the box. "Hn." A pewter jewellery box covered in serpents. Gorgeous and intricate, but only about as magical as Tobi. But when he reached to put it back, there was the side of sliding and a gentle clunk as it tilted. Something was inside. Glancing behind him, though knowing no one would be there, he flicked open the latch and lifted the well-oiled lid. His heart throbbed as a sparkle caught his eye. Emeralds. Real emeralds. There was no fooling the young snake's eyes, yet he knew that these huge green crystals were genuine. Maybe he could afford to take these as well, seeing as he was working for criminals, after all. Smirking, he placed the box on the concrete and thrust his hand back into the crate. Where the heck was it? His hand swam almost feverishly through the sawdust as he followed the energy. Surely, this was it calling to him – promising to give him what he desired. Slamming his eyes shut, he paused and felt until finally, with a great buzz of excitement, his hand found a thin chain. The second it made contact with his skin, Sasuke felt a wave of ecstasy so powerful that he had to bite his tongue to stop himself from groaning. Like lightning, he ripped it out of the box to gaze upon it with his own eyes. "Hrrrr…" he growled, staring hungrily down at the Reiki symbol of ascension he now clasped in his hands. It was so simple – a gold medallion in the shape of the symbol – but there was no doubt in the raven's mind now. He could feel its magical powers pulsating through his body. And now its power was his. Shoving it into his pocket and making a grab for the box, he looked around wildly. How could he get out? As a human, there was no way he'd fit through the tiny air vent. He'd need to be clever about this. Moving silently but speedily down the aisle on the balls of his feet, he skidded around the corner and dashed until he was in the row of larger crates right near where the two men were working. It was time to do some quick work. Grabbing one of the boxes across from him labeled 'fragile,' he heaved it until it was teetering on the edge of the one below. Then he quickly went to the other side of the aisle just around the corner, so that if he were to peek around he'd see the two men and the door would only be a couple of metres away. Silent as a mouse, he placed the box and medallion on the ground, promising himself that he wouldn't leave without them. That done, he returned to his snake form and slithered back to the teetering box and climbed over it until he was in the decent sized gap between the box and the crate behind it. All he'd have to do is push it off, and then slip through the cracks between the boxes. Only, as he pushed the enormous crate, it really didn't move against the small reptile. Sighing irritably, he coiled back and slammed it. Nothing. He slammed it again. Jeez… Quick as a flash, he let his body expand, and with his muscular human arms, he gave it a good shove, and the box smashed to the concrete below, shattering violently on impact.

"Hey!" came a cry from one of the men. Smirking, the snake shrunk back down before darting away from sight amongst the crates. "Oh no…" The fools didn't notice as he popped out between a crack at the other end of the aisle and retook human form. He snatched the medallion and the jewellery box from the ground and escaped through the now unguarded front door. No one even glimpsed the night-thief as he made off with his catch. It had been so easy.

**Sasuke - STEP AWAY FROM DA BULL O-O If you've been keeping up with the whole story, you've now read just over 104 pages of it in size twelve font :D go me! Next chapter is one to look forward to, okay? Don't change the channel and don't switch off your television sets - 40 Minutes To Live will be right back with DAMN PIZAZZ!**


	10. Fever

**Guess what? I've written another chapter for you people to enjoy. If you don't enjoy, you can have a complete refund of all your time! Just click the *make me forget* button at the end and you'll unread it! :D I have an exam tomorrow and instead of studying I've been writing and baking brownies and dancing because I'm awesome. In case you were interested about my life... *tumbleweed*... ha...**

10 – Fever

Everything was spinning. Car, Naruto, wall, road, house, car, Naruto, wall, road, house, car, Naruto, pavement… Sasuke stumbled forward, his arms flailing, and Naruto made a dash to grab him and haul him to his feet.

"Why are you in such a good mood?" the fox laughed, as the raven panted into his shoulder. "It's because I invited you to breakfast, isn't it?" Smiling softly and breathing in the blond's spicy scent, the snake sent a chilly gust of air across the tanned neck.

"Hn. Life's being good to me at the moment," the raven told him, swaying back upright. "I was going to do a twirl later on when no one was around, but… I just did it then instead." Not quite sure to make of the random behaviour, Naruto just smiled. Sasuke's heart fluttered as the fox gazed him with such friendly eyes. Something he still wasn't used to yet.

"What do you want to do? We could go skateboarding or something," the fox suggested shyly. What was Sasuke into doing anyway? Apart from getting drunk. The raven's mouth fell open slightly, and he shifted his bag from one shoulder to the other, his eyes shifting down to the pavement.

"I can't. Sorry, dobe," he muttered, glaring at a pebble. Yet to his satisfaction, Naruto let out a disappointed whine.

"We haven't really done anything fun like that in ages… not since we were kids," he sighed, then shook his head with a typical pout. "When are you busy until?" The snake blinked at the blond with bored eyes.

"For the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon, probably," he drawled, flicking his hair casually. "I'm going to be doing some extra training. You know, to work on my killer body." It was probably a good idea to skip all that stuff about delivering stolen goods. No need to ruin a good boast with the truth.

"You're supposed to use that line on girls, teme," the blond snickered, folding his arms. Sasuke smirked. "Anyway, so if you're free this evening you can come over to my place for the night. We're having ramen!" he added excitedly, his mouth watering as he imagined the delicious broth sliding down his throat. The snake rolled his eyes at this, but the smile wasn't going anywhere.

"Hn. Okay, then. But I've got to go now, so I'll see you tonight," droned the raven, patting the idiotic Naruto on the shoulder. "Thanks for breakfast."

"Ha," the blond chuckled, waving him off. "Anytime! See you at five!" Life is so good! Sasuke thought, picking up a jog. It was own fault if it ever hadn't been. His father was awful to him and his mother was manically depressed. That was just awful. It was shit. But now the raven was taking his life into his own hands and actually doing something about the sorry state of everything, and about damn time, too. In only a few minutes, he'd made it to school. Eager to receive his reward, the jog to the old gym swiftly became a sprint.

"Oh, Sasuke! I-" Kakashi began, as the dark bullet flew past, but Sasuke ignored him and disappeared down the corridor. The wiry haired teacher let out an exasperated sigh. "Never mind then…" Already miles away, the raven pushed his bag through the brick-sized hole, then morphed right down into a black snake. Orochimaru was here – he could taste it. Almost dizzy, he slithered into the room before straight away regaining human form.

"Master!" he called, his head snapping around wildly as he looked for the demon. "Master, I'm here with the medallion!"

"Good work, Uchiha-san." Gasping in fright and heart beating rapidly in his chest, the snake whipped around to see the familiar insipid smile. Narrow, cold eyes stared at him, completely unwavering. "Show me." Taking a quick breath, Sasuke tore his small bag off the ground, plunged in his hand and shivered as his fingers touched the chain. "You feel its power, don't you? You really are a perfect specimen," drawled the beast, as the young raven's eyes clouded over and his lips slowly parted. A cold finger ran from below his eye, all the way down his cheek and stopped at his chin. The boy shivered at the strange touch, but a fear gripping his throat stopped his voice as he tried to object. Slowly, the fingers resting on the chain tightened, and he pulled it carefully out of the satchel. Finally, Orochimaru's hand fell away as his eyes fell on the artefact. "Hm," he mumbled, taking the chain and trying to hold it for himself, but the raven's grip tightened. "Let go," the demon slurred, barely masking his menace.

"Hn," the young snake grunted, as his fingers relaxed and the almost euphoric sense of power was torn away. "I have something else, too." The beast's eyes flicked up from the shimmering metal as Sasuke reached back into his bag and pulled out the jewellery box.

"What's this?" mumbled the creature, snatching it off the raven with his other hand. Somewhat curious to see what his master made of his find, the young snake watched as Orochimaru ran his fingers along the spines of the twisting metal snakes. As he got closer to the tails, his snake-like eyes widened when his fingers brushed the latch. Pushing it open and lifting the lid, his eyes narrowed greedily, and the raven smirked at the flicker of green in the creature's eyes – the reflection of the emeralds.

"If that was just a test to see if I would break the law for you, I hoped that those would help," the young snake said, satisfied at the hunger he could see in his master's eyes.

"Hm." The box clicked shut. "Our leader will be glad. You realise that these are ones someone once stole from him? How lucky they ended up in your hands." Well that was lucky, Sasuke thought to himself. And what's more, now he could suck up to whoever this 'leader' was, and get even more powerful. Connections like this could prove useful. With a gentle sigh, Orochimaru handed the medallion back to the all too grateful boy and took the box away to put down at the edge of the court, out of the way. "Very well. You have done what I asked, so I shall show you a new power," the creature told him, walking across to the middle of the court. Eagerness flooded the raven's chest, making his heart beat wildly.

"Yes!" he cried, clutching the medallion to his chest. "Show me now!" The exhilaration was making him shake. He was so close! People would never be able to call him weak again, and if they did then he could prove them wrong.

"Then watch closely," the man drawled, holding out his arm. Focusing so hard that it almost hurt, Sasuke watched the arm. At first, it was just a pale arm, reaching out to him. But in a few seconds, the skin began to stretch and bulge grotesquely, even changing to a slimy green colour, as his fingers curled into two, long fangs.

"How…" A low hiss escaped the newly formed lips and two glowing eyes watched him warily. Yet this snake was not Orochimaru. Orochimaru was standing right in front of him, a sly smile on his thin lips. "Incredible…" It was something that the raven had never successfully tried before. Only one single part of the man's body had transformed – that was his arm. The serpent curled out of his shoulder where his arm should've been.

"And that's not all I can teach you to do," the demon slurred, as the harnessed animal on his shoulder tried to lunge at the paling boy. Suddenly, there was a flash of green light and the man was engulfed in a writhing mass of scaled flesh. Eyes wider than he ever thought possible, the shaking raven stumbled back, as hundreds of snakes began pouring out onto the court, each one four metres long or more.

"M-Master!" he cried, as cold hands of fear reached out of the floor, sealing his feet to the ground. Snakes surrounded him, hissing, lunging and biting. All of a sudden, one of the hisses seemed too close, and he whipped around just as an emerald reptile leapt for his throat, fangs bared. Thinking fast, Sasuke swung the medallion as hard as he could, and there was a sickening crack as it collided with the monster's jaw. Reeling back, the snake's stiff lips seemed to smile.

"That'sss good! Use the power to defend yoursssself! For thesssse two are the powersss that the medallion unlocksss," it hissed.

"What? It talks?" he gasped, staring at the serpent like a deer caught in headlights. "Hn!" Spinning around, he clubbed another beast with his fist, but this left him open as a cold, heavy object began to slide up his leg. _Shit! Don't you dare bite me!_ Suddenly, another flung itself onto his shoulder and straight away tried to constrict his neck. Too busy swatting off more of the heavy reptiles, there was little Sasuke could do as it began to tighten around his throat. Another landed on his waist and began to wrap around his body. Hundreds more pythons waited in the ranks.

"Defend yourssself," came an icy cold hiss in his ear. The raven tried to reply that he couldn't, but the snake tightened even more, catching the words in his throat. Damn. He'd just have to try and figure out how to use that damn medallion. All he would need to do would just have his head change into a snake's head, so he could rip his poison fangs into some of these dangerous beasts. Ouch! What was that? His teeth? Suddenly, the raven became aware of the fact that his teeth had lengthened into needles. Then, the ground seemed to somehow shrink below his feet, as his neck elongated out and thickened. He shuddered as his blood began to chill, but he knew it wasn't just a temperature drop in the room. Somehow, he'd done it. His reptilian eyes gazed down at his humanoid body that was now crawling with snakes. Bite. Lashing out, he sank his teeth into the hard scales of the python hugging his throat. It hissed and contorted violently, as dark blood oozed from the wounds. The sudden erratic movements from the serpent made Sasuke gag, so with his human arms he reached up and tore it away.

"Thisss power… What'sss happened to my voiccce?" he burst out, partly astonished that he was speaking at all, but mostly perplexed at the hissing sounds he was involuntarily making. "Tsssss!" he cried, but was immediately disgusted by the sound of his own voice. Shaking and biting the remaining snakes off his body, Sasuke struck his defensive pose, dropping a leg back and waiting for the fight to come to him. This was amazing! Amazing apart from the voice, anyway. He had the comfort and fighting ability of his human form, but the venom and reflexes of a viper. What's more, he could still hear and speak. As the smaller serpents leapt at him, he had little difficulty warding them off. He sent his foot into one while it was midway through the air, and then slammed it down into the ground, shattering the creature's spine. At the same time, he had three snakes being garroted with his chain. Quickly, he threw the bodies to one side and waited for more to come, but the hissing snakes seemed to lose their determination. All of them eyed him warily, but didn't come any closer. Sasuke let out a low hiss. "Come at me. I could do thissss all day," he cooed, beckoning them forward, but instead the wall of snakes edged away. "Hn." With a flash of green, they were gone. Even the bodies had disappeared. Eyes shifting up and down the room, the young snake searched for Orochimaru.

"Very good, young Uchiha. Do you find that now that you've exhausted the relic's power, it doesn't feel like there's magic anymore? That's how I knew I had unlocked everything I could with it." The voice floated gently over his shoulder, and Sasuke knew the fight was over. Slowly, his neck shrank back down and his elongated teeth began to blunt. The demon was certainly right. Looking down at the golden symbol of ascension and feeling its weight in his hand no longer felt euphoric.

"Why is that?" he muttered, looking into the eye of the medallion. A wave of irritation and disgust washed down his spine as the creature's cold fingers gently clasped his shoulder.

"Because when you gain strength, new opportunities arise, and old ones die," slurred the beast, breathing cool air into the boy's neck. "I'm impressed, Uchiha-san. On only your first attempt, you managed to transform. How did it feel?" Edging away from the thin lips by his shoulder, Sasuke gulped.

"Hn. It didn't feel like anything. I just thought about doing it, and I did it. Just like when I was a kid," he said quietly. Why did Orochimaru have to be so unsettling all the time?

"Amazing. You truly are a natural. Your family has no idea of what a prodigy you are. Your finesse for our beautiful art is astounding." The demon was saying these things to the raven, primarily because it was true. But he had no idea of what it was making Sasuke feel.

"No… no one has ever," he stammered, as his hands began to shiver a little again. No one had ever complimented him so sincerely. Everything he did was second best. Despite the fact that the creature was strange and unnerving, the young snake always looked forward to any class he would have with him – he would look forward to it like Christmas. His friends were often kind to him, but this was different. Sasuke never liked Orochimaru. He never could. The man was a dark criminal, had a face like something out of a nightmare, and he was creepy and sadistic. But he loved the fact that someone believed in him, and told him these things. And now that he had a taste of what kindness was really like, it only strengthened his resolve to bring down his father. "They'll appreciate me eventually – when they're at my feet, half dead," he drawled, his eyes narrowing darkly.

"Of course," the creature simpered, moving slowly around Sasuke's front to face him. "Now. Lend me your afternoon. You need to perfect these two arts you have learnt."

"Hn," the snake growled irritably, slamming his hands down into his pockets. "But master… I would rather learn new techniques and train them in my own time." Sweeping away in anger, the demon snarled at his pupil.

"Don't get away with yourself, you fool! You may be a talent, but you are also young and stupid. If you want to learn more techniques, you'll need to put in some more work for me," snapped Orochimaru, as the raven began his venomous glare. "And don't think _that_ will help you learn more. It's only good for those two techniques," he snorted, gesturing to the medallion.

"Yes, master!" the raven half growled, half shouted. "Fine, then. I'll stay here for the afternoon. But I have somewhere to be this evening, and I'm not missing it for anything." At this, the demon's cold eyes grew colder, but nevertheless, nodded in approval. He couldn't monopolize the boy's time. Though, he'd take whatever time he could. Uchiha Sasuke… he really was a perfect specimen.

_Shit. I'm late…_ By the time Sasuke finally reached the fox's street, he was already an hour late for their agreed time. And his phone was flooded with texts that he'd missed.

_Fuck u, u fucking bastard. U know how long i waited 4 u the bus stop? 2 fucking hours._ The raven stared, a little taken aback, down at the message. He'd completely forgotten that he and Shikamaru were supposed to go to the art gallery together to look at the new exposition, as discussed last Wednesday. And… he totally left the brunet hanging. But at the same time, he didn't care that much.

_I 4got, k? quit bein such a pussy. U didnt hav 2 wait that whole time._ Send. If he got annoyed with the snake, then so be it. People like Shikamaru couldn't help him achieve his goals, so what was the big deal? There wasn't one. The raven just really couldn't care less about them anymore. Sasuke looked up at the huge building soaring into the sky above him. Lots of normal people occupied these apartments. It was a little weird that Naruto lived in one, but then… he lived in the penthouse at the top, and he'd heard that they could be quite nice, and always had great views. The dark-haired boy smirked to himself. When was the last time he'd visited the fox? A really long time ago. Quietly approaching the building and yawning a little to himself, Sasuke felt his pocket vibrate, so he reached in and flicked out his phone.

_Just no that im pissed off, u bastard. Dont txt bak, n expect 2b punched in teh face n monday._

"Ts. I don't give a shit about your issues," he muttered, thrusting the device back into his pocket. Gazing tiredly at the swing doors, he wondered how much more his heart could take this year. He really had his own issues to worry about, here. "Naruto…" Surely, now that he was stronger he could handle this. Huffing, he pushed his way past a young lady holding the door for him, not bothering to thank the blushing girl. Naruto was going to be cross if he missed dinner. He looked back at the girl with a glare as his stomach rumbled noisily. Forget Naruto! Orochimaru had worked his ass off, and they didn't even break for lunch. Jabbing the up button on the lift furiously and tapping his foot, he looked around. These places were so weird. People were sitting around on tables with their groceries chatting, talking to the lady at the front desk, and little kids were jumping down the stairs. It wasn't the sort of place that Sasuke would usually consider to be a nice 'rendez-vous' point. A pinging sound alerted him to the fact the lift had reached his floor, and he squeezed into the box before the heavy metal doors had finished opening. "Oh, crap… Watch it!" he snapped, as he knocked into a mother and her pram, making it rock dangerously.

"Respect!" she barked back, as the little boy's face began to turn red. The snake snarled darkly at her as she pushed her crying baby out into the lobby. Even for him, that was pretty harsh. But he was feeling bitter and mean spirited having spent all day with the cruelest man he'd ever met – excluding his father, of course. Pushing the button for the penthouse, he leant back against the bar and glared at his reflection in the glass. Honestly, he looked a mess. Dark rings shadowed his eyes, stray wisps of hair were stuck like black, stringy spaghetti all over his forehead, and his hairstyle was all oily and gross from all the sweating he'd done. Going mad with the deodorant afterwards hadn't really helped in the end, either. Great. There was another ping as the lift reached the top floor. The doors groaned and opened up and the raven's onyx eyes tensed hungrily as beautiful, savoury smells of ramen wafted in the air. Dashing out the lift and into the tiny waiting space, he rapped his knuckles on the door, bouncing impatiently from one foot to the other.

"Sasuke! Long time no see!" came a cry, as the door swung open. Sasuke stared, completely stricken by Naruto's duplicate. Minato smiled, flicking his blond hair and gesturing for the boy to come inside. "You've grown so much," he exclaimed, patting the raven's shoulder with great enthusiasm. "It must have been, what… eight years? Maybe nine?"

"Hn. Sorry I'm late," muttered the snake, trying hard not to stare at his friend's father. They really were so similar. Minato had slightly smaller eyes and no whiskers, but their smiles were identical.

"It's no big thing," the man shrugged, guiding the boy around the corner by his shoulder. "Well, Naruto was freaking out." Ah great. Way to get rid of the guilt. The snake's black eyes widened in surprise, as the corridor suddenly opened out into a glass palace, complete with a bar and kitchen in the corner, comfortable sofas surrounding a huge screen, and stairs leading up to a mezzanine – its wall draped in beautiful cloths – and a huge pool on a sunbathed deck outside the glass doors. There was so much more space than he'd expected! And as he crept in further along the ultra soft carpet, he looked back and saw a whole 'nother section complete with a chic, dark wooden dining table, and doors leading to even more parts of the penthouse. Everything was so much newer and more fashionable than in his own house – which was old, grand and creaky.

"Where's," he began slowly, half watching the hockey match on the amazing television screen, "Naruto?"

"He's upstairs in the garden. Actually, it's about dinner time, so can you run up and grab him?" Minato asked him, pointing to a boiling pot on the stove. Stomach now beginning to wail, the raven nodded and made his way to the white steps that seemed to float, and pattered carefully up them. As he stepped into the amazingly spacious and open mezzanine, he realised that it must be the fox's bedroom. The bright orange carpet was littered in clothes and his double bed… was that a teddy bear? He also had a small flat screen TV in the corner with an Xbox and a pile of games. The whole room smelled just as musky and delicious as the blond._ So hot…_ Seeing Naruto's personal things made his blood fizz and boil. Keep moving. Sasuke darted up the second set of stairs, praying like mad that he wouldn't have a face like a tomato. Gently pulling the door open at the top of the stairs, the caressing fingers of a zephyr pushed back his hair, cooling his moist brow. Casting his eyes across the shrubs and grass, his eyes fell on something more beautiful than he'd yet seen. "Naruto…" he whispered, as a deep, painful longing gripped his heart like chains. The fox was across the other side of the garden, leaning over the edge of the wall. His soft yellow hair swayed gently in the wind, and his usually smiling pink lips were placid. Everything seemed to blow away – anger, superiority, inferiority, excitement – leaving only hunger in the dark-haired boy's soul. This hunger was different to the one he had felt for the medallion, and different again from the hunger that made him want to hurry to dinner. Yet, it was so much more powerful. Sensing a presence, the blond redirected his gaze over his shoulder.

"Sasuke!" he cried, his glacier blue eyes melting as his eyes fell on the exhausted looking male. "How did I miss you?" Lips parted slightly in wonder, it took a moment before Sasuke snapped out of his trance in realisation of what the fox had just said.

"Miss me? You don't make any sense," he droned, stepping off the tile paving onto the smooth grass.

"You were so late! So I was looking down to see if I could spot you on your way in," Naruto said, not moving from the wall.

"Usuratonkachi. You weren't going to see me from up here, were you?" growled Sasuke, stomping over to the silly boy and grabbing his tanned wrist. "Sorry I'm late. It's dinner time, so let's get something to eat, ne?"

"Oh, great. I'm famished," the boy giggled, letting the other drag him back down the stairs. "Ramen, ramen, ramen!" Snickering, the raven shot him a cheeky smile.

"Soba's better, dobe," he teased, feeling a sense of satisfaction as the fox's chest began to puff up. As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Sasuke looked around in vague surprise. Minato had disappeared, and there were only two bowls on the bar by the steaming pot. "Hn. Where's your father, Naruto?"

"Uh…" The blond walked over to the bar, more focused on the food than on the question. Sighing, the snake followed suit. "He's eating with Mum." The raven's brow furrowed and he tilted his head slightly.

"What, in their room, or something?" he asked, spooning some gorgeous smelling ramen into his bowl. Looking up, Sasuke felt a pang of surprise as he was caught by a sad, fake smile. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Naruto replied, chuckling half-heartedly. "It's just that, you know, Mum's really sick at the moment. Dad's taking her dinner to her because she hates hospital food." Unable to hold his smile anymore, the fox broke eye contact with his friend. Sasuke's eyes fell to his spoon.

"That's just… awful…" he muttered. "Poor Kushina. What happened?"

"Um… she was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple of years ago. She's been through chemo and stuff since, but when they thought it was gone they found it again in her brain." Mouth dropping open as the news clenched against his chest, he stared sadly at Naruto.

"I'm so sorry." His own mother was sick too, and he knew what it was like not knowing if she'd still be with them the next day, or if she'd just disappear from his life forever.

"Don't," the blond told him with a gentle smile, pulling himself onto one of the barstools. "I know you're starving too, so let's just eat, and not let things we can't change bother us." Heart still heavy from the news, Sasuke sat up beside his friend and plunged his chopsticks into his dinner. God, food never tasted so sweet. It was gone before Naruto even finished. Reaching for the spoon, he refilled his bowl and shoveled the ramen down his throat ravenously. "What the-? You must have really pushed yourself today, teme," the fox said, staring in shock at the starving boy.

"Hn."

"Seriously, slow down."

"No." The snake slammed his bowl back onto the bench, licking the juice off his lips. Suddenly, his eye twitched and his hands clapped to his gut. "Ow…"

"Stomach ache?" sniggered the blond, finishing off his own bowl. "I told you to slow down." The raven shot him a sharp glare, still clutching his stomach.

"Please, I'd sooner kill myself than take health advice from Naruto Uzumaki," he growled. Rolling his eyes, the blond reached out for his friend's back and rubbed it gently.

"Let's go up to my room and play computer or Xbox or something," he suggested, digging his thumbs into the knots in Sasuke's muscled shoulders. Cheeks fighting back a blush, the raven let out a soft groan. Suddenly, his belly didn't hurt so much. But… the touches… Naruto's fingers running down his back were sending electric bolts shooting straight to his groin.

"Yeah. Let's go," he mumbled, trying really hard not to moan as the fox's fingers drifted further down his back toward the hem of his shorts. Jumping out of his seat and away from the mouthwatering hands, the snake took his bowl around to stack it with the other dishes. That done, he followed the tanned blond back across to the stairs and climbed with him up to the mezzanine. Body still aching like a bitch from Orochimaru's training, the raven didn't wait for an invitation to pounce onto Naruto's orange bedspread. "Entertain me, usuratonkachi," he demanded, smirking at the fox as he plodded over to the TV in the corner.

"Well, what do you want to do, teme? What do you want to play?" asked the blond irritably. Sasuke was holding his teddy. "Give that back!"

"Make me," teased the raven, snuggling the little bear, sprawled across Naruto's bed.

"Fine!" growled the fox, leaping to tackle the teddy out of the snake's hands. The raven snatched it away just in time, as the blond tumbled down next to him, making the bed bounce. Suddenly, there was a flash of fluff as the boy smashed it into the fox's face.

"There you go, dobe. Let's watch movies all night, or something," he said, rubbing the bear into his friend's nose and mouth.

"No!" snapped Naruto, slapping his teddy out of his face. "That way we won't communicate."

"Hn." The smirk grew into a grin. "Then we could just catch up on everything together. You know, just talk about ourselves. There's probably enough to last all night." This was a suggestion that seemed more than adequate for the fox.

"Finally!" he laughed, punching Sasuke's shoulder, making the boy flinch. "Better late than never, ne Sasuke? I thought we'd never get around to actually talking seriously. But that's what best friends are supposed to do, aren't they?" Smile growing fonder by the second, the raven reached out a pale hand and gently tugged at the blond's shirt.

"Come on. Let's go into the garden," he pressed, moving his nose slightly closer to the fox's. His heart fluttered in the sparkling springs that were Naruto's eyes.

"Good idea," the fox agreed, pulling himself up and wandering over to the stairs. When he realised that Sasuke wasn't following, he looked back over his shoulder, to see the sable-haired boy gazing up at him through half lidded eyes from the bed. "Sasuke," he sighed, running a hand through his own hair, "why did you do it?"

"I…" The snake's eyes dropped away at the sudden confrontation. "I'll tell you in a bit." Lifting his legs over the edge of the bed, he hoisted himself up and ambled up to the forlorn fox.

"Great, because I really want to clear that up for good," the blond tittered, pattering up the stairs – now that the snake was on his tail. As the two stepped into the now blood red garden, the fox suddenly stopped.

"Ts. What is it, dobe?" drawled the taller, moving to sit on the grass.

"It's your birthday tomorrow!" Naruto trumpeted, staring wide-eyed down at Sasuke.

"I know," the raven huffed, blowing some hair out of his eyes. "But thanks for reminding me anyway, usuratonkachi." Shit eating grin slapped across his happy face, the blond bounced onto the soft grass next to Sasuke.

"We are totally going to stay up all night," he hyped, pulling out chunks and chunks of grass. Feeling a tickle in his nose, the snake sneezed into his arm.

"Excuse me." His lids dropped in exasperation as the fox plonked a hand onto his head and ruffled the dark hair.

"That was adorable! Do it again."

"Fuck off," he said, grimacing in embarrassment. Then, as if to intensify the butterflies in the raven's tummy, the other wiggled around, lying out in the grass so that he and the raven were almost nose-to-nose. Swallowing sharply as the fox's scent filled his nostrils, the snake diverted his gaze from the suddenly serious eyes.

"Sasuke. Why did you do it? I really want you to tell me." Even though it was a vague question, Naruto asked it so softly that Sasuke knew exactly what he was being asked – and it burned.

"You want to know… why I hurt you?" he asked softly, spinning a piece of grass in his fingers. It felt as though that the blade of grass was his head, spinning around and around.

"Yeah. Don't worry. I won't be mad, no matter what the reason was." Sasuke gulped again. Hard. This look Naruto was giving him. Those eyes, and soft cheeks. There was something more than just interest in the sea of blue. "Please tell me. I need to know." It was as though…

"I stole that pendant because I thought you liked it more than you liked me," he murmured, reaching forward. The fox took a sharp breath as warm fingers brushed down the front of his shirt and clasped around the blue stone. "I thought you'd pay as much attention to me if I had it for myself. But…" Sasuke drew his hand away, his slate eyes brimming with more misery than the blond had ever seen. "…it was such a stupid thing to think. I was so jealous and selfish, that I didn't even care how you felt." This was what Naruto wanted to hear, and the raven knew it. Those eyes were begging him to tell the fox that it wasn't because he had hated him. Letting out a sad laugh, the blond leant in and rested his forehead on Sasuke's. The raven's cheeks immediately turned hotter than a furnace.

"So that's what it was," whispered the fox, not noticing the boy's rising temperature. Somehow, he felt lightheaded. Like a weight had been taken off him, after a very, very long time. "Thank-you, so much. Thank-you."

"And I'm so sorry, Naruto. I'm sorry for everything – barging into your life, picking fights, being a bastard – everything," he said, his voice shaking incoherently. "Remember that, dobe. I'll never say it again." Suddenly, the blond pulled his head away from the snake's, a frown on his face.

"Speaking of fights… I was wondering recently. Do you still have scars?" he asked, curiosity reigniting in the boy's sparkling blue eyes. Sasuke blinked.

"What?" Grabbing the raven's shoulder, the fox pushed him onto his back.

"You know, from where I bit you." Practically spewing up his own heart, the snake cried out in romantic horror as his shirt was pushed right up his body around his neck.

"H-hey!" he protested, as the blond began to scour his now cold and naked stomach and chest.

"I've never had any scars," muttered Naruto, as his eyes fell on damaged flesh on Sasuke's white chest. Squirming under the fox's weight, the raven's eyes flew open in shock as three fingers ran over his old wound, right above his nipple. It felt like he'd been struck by lightening, sending urges coiling through his tortured body. Clamping his eyes shut, he tried to suppress a moan. But as the tantilising fingers wound their way down his sternum toward his stomach, he couldn't contain himself.

"N-Naruto!" he groaned, as his body began to shiver at the pleasure of being touched. Blushing at the incredibly erotic sound the raven had just made, the blond looked up.

"Yeah?" he asked carefully, still running his fingers over the interesting bumps he had left on his friend's body.

"Hn…" Opening one eye, Sasuke squinted up at the ignoramus with clenched teeth. "Stop it." Naruto tilted his head as the raven sat up pushed him off his chest. Hands shaking, the snake pulled his shirt back down over his pale torso. At first, the blond watched calmly as the raven pushed his face into his hands with a sigh, but as his eyes wandered down, he almost leapt up in surprise.

"Oh, no! Sasuke? Did I do that?" he spluttered all of a sudden, pointing madly down at the lump in the boy's shorts. As soon as the snake realised what the fox was pointing at, his face paled. He would have blushed, but all the blood was somewhere else.

"Hn!" he roared, bringing his fist down on top of Naruto's head, thwacking him into the ground. "You fucking pervert!" His ribs felt like they were going to break. His heart felt like it was going to break. "Leave me alone…" Bringing up his legs to cover the shame, he buried his face in his knees.

"Ouch… Sasuke," the fox growled, rubbing the top of his head. "You are so strange." So that's what this was all about. A great sigh in his chest, the blond inched closer to the raven and put an arm around hunched, shivering shoulders. "I sometimes wondered if you felt this way… But… I always thought you were smarter than that. I mean, I'm not cool or good-looking or anything like that."

"Shut up," rasped the snake, still not looking up.

"You know, you should set your sights a little higher than me," Naruto continued, ignoring the ashamed boy. But suddenly, an arm flew out, grasping the fox's collar and tugging him forward.

"I said shut up!" Sasuke spat, his eyes burning with anger. "You have no idea how I feel! No fucking clue! Idiot!"

"I'm not an idiot!" the blond yelled back, his whiskers jagged as he snarled.

"Yes you are! You are, Naruto!" the snake hissed, shaking the boy's collar. "I'm sick of people trying to undermine me! Don't tell me that I shouldn't want what I want! Don't tell me that I shouldn't need what I need, or I swear to god, Naruto, I will fucking kill you!"

"But look," the fox wailed, gesturing to himself. "I'm doing this again. I always do this to you. Fuck, Sasuke – I just force you to share with me, but I always leave you hanging. You shouldn't put up with me. What have I ever said to you to make you feel like I care? Nothing. I just torture you."

"I know," growled the raven, his voice dropping several octaves. "I know. But it's nothing I can't handle. I can handle you not…" The words that had been flying so easily from his lips suddenly felt like rocks, cutting into his throat. Taking a shuddering breath, he made an internal oath. It was time to finish what he'd started. "…not loving me. Just don't tell me that I shouldn't feel this way."

"That's it. I'm going to contribute to this relationship, no matter what may happen," Naruto barked, tearing himself away from the pale hand. "Fucking hell, teme. I think you're out of your mind, and a complete masochist." Sasuke's eyes narrowed as a low hiss escaped his lips. "Did you ever wonder why I actually couldn't get over what you did? You drive me absolutely loopy, Sasuke."

"Hn," rumbled the raven, his nose scrunched up and his lips twisted into a snarl. "So you've hated me this whole time? Then don't screw me around!"

"That's not it!" cried the blond, grabbing the boy's wrists and subduing him with an intense stare. "Fucking hell. If I cared that you were an asshole, we'd never have been friends in the first place. But I love you, Sasuke!" …_What?_ Lips trembling and arms going limp, the snake mind turned into ramen. There were no coherent thoughts. None except for one that stood out like a lighthouse in the wine-dark sea. _He loves me. Fuck, Naruto… you…_ His heart throbbed as a trickle slipped down his cheek, though he couldn't feel himself crying. When did his eyes well up? Now that he looked, Naruto's eyes were shimmering too, and his scratched olive cheeks were wet with tears. And although the fox wasn't smiling, it felt like he was more than when he actually was. "I love you so much, teme. Always have." Sasuke released a slow, shuddering breath as the smell of Naruto grew stronger and his soft, pink lips drew closer.

"I hate saying that," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. "But I do love you too, dobe. I hate the way that those words just don't even come close to describing to you how I feel." Blue eyes overflowed with adoration as the fox edged nearer. The blond was so close that his spicy, ramen flavoured breath blew over his face like he'd stuck his head in an oven. A hand slipped through his hair as quivering lips brushed against his. Neither dared close their eyes. Both wanted to watch as the other's slowly filled with a mad lust. Sasuke pushed a little against the sweet lips, planting a small kiss on the fox's lower lip. Eyes narrowing mischievously, Naruto laid his own kisses, and both quickly found it increasingly harder to stop. But even if they could, why would they? The raven shuddered, as the lips brushing against his grew moist and a little warmer. Slick lips collided delicately, slowly, passionately. "Oh, Naruto," Sasuke moaned, as he began to lose control of himself. Waves of heat pulsating through his blood, he threw his arms around the blond's neck and pulled them both back in the grass. "Ha," he huffed, daring to run his tongue along the fox's upper lip.

"Sasuke…" Naruto whispered, admiring how sexy the raven looked sprawled on his back, begging for entrance to his mouth. His cheeks were rosy, his eyes were narrowed in the heat, and his deepest dye hair trailed all over his beautiful face and the grass around his shoulders. Kneeling over him, the blond leant in to those yielding lips and pushed his tongue through into Sasuke's hot mouth, licking and lapping at the raven's teeth and tongue, before giving him a chance to explore his own mouth. As the wet muscles heatedly battled, the snake couldn't help but moan and moan, dragging his hand wildly across the fox's back and through his hair.

"Ha-!" the snake cried, as suddenly Naruto's hand found the hem of his shirt. Once again, lightning bolts of pleasure tore through his skin as fingers danced against his paper white stomach. Crying out lewdly, the raven buried his face in the fox's shoulder and gripped the back of his shirt.

"You're so sensitive," murmured the blond, tracing the snake's shivering abs. "So fucking hot…" Sasuke bit into the fox's shoulder, making him hiss. Down below, he was beginning to hurt. His erection was digging into Naruto's thigh really hard. This was probably going to escalate…

"N-Naruto," he said through clenched teeth, "when's your going to be father back?" Above him, he heard the fox let out a huff.

"Tomorrow, Sasuke." The blond pushed his lips against the snake's ear, nipping the lobe, before licking gently around the rim. "For now, you're mine," he breathed huskily, making the boy beneath him groan and shudder. "Still keen to stay up all night?"

**If by 'keen to stay up all night?' you mean 'keen to stay up all night writing lemons?' then the answer is probably 'no i'm tired you asshole...' Next chapter will be asstastic lemon :O Can you believe it? Naruto actually returns Sasuke's feelings! Well I can, because it says 'narusasu' in the description. DUH.**

***unread button* ====click if you don't understand 'democracy'. HA it's like not even a real button.**


	11. Bleeding

**Oh god... that just took WAAAAAY too long. Sorry but if everyone has one time where they take AGES to upload a chapter, this can be mine. Oh yeah. WARNING THIS CHAPTER IS A LEMON ALL THE WAY THROUGH. You could probably skip the whole chapter without affecting the plot, but seriously this is like... well who the heck would skip the part where Naruto and Sasuke finally hook up (not a spoiler if it's obvious)? Personne (no one). Alors... vous allez le lire? J'imagine que les 'lemons' sont la plus difficile partie d'une fanfiction d'ecrire pour tout... ou peut-etre pas? Desolee, mon francais est loin de parfait.**

**BONNE APPETITE. J'ai faim.**

11 – Bleeding

"We can be together again." That was the first time he saw the truth. Everything that the raven was carrying tumbled away. Naruto had always wanted whatever was behind those opaque eyes. But he never expected to find what he did, that day Sasuke was brought to the brink of drowning. As the façade fell away, he felt his heart stop upon seeing more misery, more horror and more fear than he ever believed one could feel. But swimming in the piceous portal to the pitiful youth's soul were thick trails of colour. Shimmering zeal and aspiration, glimmering style and cunning, and thickest of all was love. But these normal and beautiful emotions were screaming for help – because the longer they lingered, the more the waters swamped over them, drowning them in the depths. Black water.

"I want you, Sasuke," Naruto breathed, before trailing his tongue down a tendon on the raven's neck. Quivering in ecstacy, the snake tilted his head back as hot lips latched on under his jaw and began to suck. The fox licked at the salty flesh he had between his lips as he worked on leaving his mark. Sparks of arousal shot through them as they shuddered in each other's arms. "Ha…" Drawing away he looked with satisfaction at the dark stain he created on such perfect white skin. Sasuke whimpered, covering his eyes with the back of his arm. It made his body feel so strangely feverish when the blond said these things to him. "I want more than what you leave on the surface, baby. I want all of you."

"What are you talking about, dobe?" he muttered, slightly annoyed that the fox thought he was going to hold back on him. Searing kisses danced gracefully on his collarbone as those shameless fingers began to walk further up his stomach.

"I mean," the fox slurred between kisses, "keep doing this to me. I love how you drive me crazy."

"Fuck," the raven groaned, as the fingers brushed against his nipple, like he was decorating his incredibly sexy comments. As they closed around the sensitive skin, his pale body began to shake as he moaned like an animal, digging his fingers into the blond's back. Shivers of excitement tearing through him as the sharp nails ripped into his skin, Naruto growled and moved back up to steamroll his lips and tongue back against the snake's mouth, circling and flicking the little button at his fingertips. Every time Sasuke moaned it reverberated into the fox's mouth. He kissed harder, pushing his tongue and moving his lips against the raven heatedly, taking gasping breaths as he ravaged the boy's mouth. The snake seemed to be kissing him back with even more insanity, his dark eyes locked passionately with the blond's as he tried to hug the dominant boy closer to his body. Having his chest played with so brutally made the raven shake uncontrollably. It was taking so much effort not to suddenly thrust forward and rub his hardness against Naruto's. Yeah, if that idiot didn't have a boner at this point then there'd be something seriously wrong with him. Although, with the fox half kneeling over top of him, it was hard to tell without actually looking. "Mm," he sighed into the other's mouth as the blond pushed his other hand up to give both of Sasuke's nipples some attention. "Hm…" A string of saliva was caught between their lips as the blond slowly drew back to sit up, watching the snake's face as he ran his thumbs over the youth's studs.

"Your expression is filthy, baby," he said sensually, his voice deep and chocolaty. "I love the way you push your arm to your forehead like you're hiding from me, and the way you pant with your mouth hanging open like that." Each rumbling, arousing word shot straight to the snake's now painfully hard cock. Another moan escaped his lips, as the fox's naughty, alluring eyes soaked in the single hottest thing he'd ever seen. Sasuke reached down and pulled up his own shirt, revealing his moist, tired body, and then he slammed his arms into the grass, eyes scrunched and mouth hanging open, pushing his white, muscled chest into those dirty hands. "Ha," gasped the blond, as the boy's face filled with lust, just from rubbing his red, raw nipples against the fingers. Still fondling the incredibly wired body, Naruto leaned in and closed his lips around the shirt still hanging around the raven's neck. The snake hissed as it was pulled roughly over his head by the fox's sharp teeth and tossed to the side. Every touch was sending his body reeling, building up this desire inside his whole body – not just his dick anymore – for more of this… whatever it is. If he desired it, then there was no question. He'd take it.

"Naruto," he hissed, flopping back into the grass away from his lover's hands. Barely startled by the movement, the blue-eyed fox followed him down and pushed his lips back into Sasuke's. Tired of flicking the aching nubs, the blond let his tanned arms run along down the raven's side, stopping at his waist. Whimpering into the feverish kiss, the snake finally let his own hands slide up and feel the smooth, tanned skin, stroking Naruto's strong arms. "Hn!" he groaned, lifting his hips as the fox's fingers moved around to his lower back, gripping his ass. This was too much. That damn blond was being ruthless, sending the raven's mind spinning around with the dirty thoughts of the things he wanted the idiot to do to his body. Having already lifted them some of the way, Sasuke tried to buck into Naruto's spread legs, breaking the kiss and gripping onto the other's shoulders.

"Sasuke!" the fox gasped, as he felt a rock hard erection rub against his nether regions. Just having the weight of the raven dangling off him was sexy enough, but the whole time his body had just been screaming to be fucked. Clearly, Sasuke wanted this as badly as he did. And now the boy was gripping the tanned shoulders tight, desperately rubbing his lower body against the blond's. Snapping out of his sense of astonishment at the snake's agony and lust, Naruto let out a throaty, pleasured moan at the feeling of their cocks rubbing together and pushed the boy down, rolling his own crotch back across the raven's. Half smirking, half groaning in carnality, the snake pushed his firm fingers up the blond's tense, slick back. The mass he could feel creating heated friction was so big. He shuddered at the thought of having something like that inside him. It was invigorating.

"Shit, dobe… You get me so hard. So fucking hard," he whispered into the ear hovering by his lips. Then, as a wave of impulsion surged over him, his tongue threw itself inside, licking around the valleys of his lover's sensitive ear. Purring and rocking harder against the body below him, the fox lifted his hands and slipped them back down under the hem of the pants and clutching the boy's hot ass directly.

"So how's it going to go, teme?" the canine slurred, as the wet muscle drew out from his ear. "Because now that I'm grabbing this fucking sexy ass of yours I'm not going to let you go down on me without a fight." Sasuke almost wanted to laugh, but he was panting and whimpering so much that in the end all that escaped his mouth was a high, passionate wail.

"No!" he gasped, as the fox thrust against him extra hard. "I want… you to fuck me…" Despite the fact that it was already pounding so much it hurt, this somehow made the blond's heart throb even harder. And his dick too, seemed to become even tighter in his jeans. No matter what the snake did, it always made Naruto's blood boil, whether that was in anger or in painful, horrible, unrequited love – and quite often both. But now that was drowning in the almost desperate lust he felt. And even though Sasuke was letting go and being loved for once, his façade was only replaced by a thickening layer of steam.

"Sasuke… My cock really hurts when you say things like that," the blond huffed, squeezing the muscles a little more. Another aroused moan burst out of the boy below him, followed by a tingling sensation as the chilly hands collided with the fox's lower abdomen. Expecting the snake to try to undo his fly, he felt a little surprised as the fingers slid up to undo the buttons on his shirt. Still, the raven was struggling to take off the blond's top as his butt was being gripped tight and rocked forward forcefully; making him create even more friction between the two bodies and he shivered wildly from head to toe. Finally, his wrestling match with the buttons was successful and above him Naruto shook off his shirt, regrettably having to remove his hands from the pale cheeks. As it slid off his arms the fox caught sight of Sasuke's face once again. "If you're going to look at me like that, then undo my fly as well." He was gazing up with his hungry, dark eyes narrowed and his tongue circling his own lips suggestively.

"You're not the only one with a sore cock, dobe. Didn't I tell you how hard you make me just a minute ago?" he slurred, trailing his hands down the tanned, muscled body above him. "So abuse me a little more." Sasuke smirked as he felt Naruto shudder under his fingers. For a moment, the blond just stared down in vague surprise, his mouth hanging open. But as soon as the raven pulled his head up to lick the fox's tummy button, pushing the hot muscle inside, his horniness rebooted. He grabbed the back of the snake's head, groaning and rubbing himself against the other's white chest. The raven hummed in satisfaction as the blond's hardness pushed into him almost desperately.

"Hngh… No!" Naruto cried suddenly, seizing Sasuke's shoulders and pushing him away. The snake grunted as he slammed down onto his back, and a pang of cold surprise caught him in the chest at the look of insecurity he found in the fox's blue eyes.

"Usuratonkachi! What's wrong with you?" he gasped, shooting daggers at the suddenly blushing blond. "Don't tell me you're choosing now to go all pathetic on me!"

"No, no – nothing like that," reassured the fox, a flicker of mirth passing through the surprise in his eyes. "I just thought you were going to pull down my pants." The raven snorted, trying and failing to yank his body out from under the blond.

"So what if I was?" he hissed, his pupils narrowing and his obsidian iris' changing into a wine red. "Why would you care about that, when you were so clearly excited at the idea of getting to fuck me? You can't do that with your pants on." At this, the fox merely snickered.

"I care because it would be rude for me to make you think you had to suck my cock. Especially because you asked me to abuse you more," the blond teased, reaching out and stroking the front of the raven's jeans. Hissing and shuddering, the now appeased snake threw his arm back over his eyes as the pleasure quickly became unbearable.

"B-but you said it hurts," he whimpered, as the hands unfastened the button of his fly and gently pulled the zipper down the hardness below.

"It's okay," Naruto mumbled, shuffling down the raven's thighs and leaning forward.

"Naruto!" cried the snake, as the fox's face hovered only centimetres from his crotch. "Are you really going to…" His voice trailed away as the blond left a trail of wet kisses around his lower abdomen and slowly began to pull the jeans and cotton underwear down his hips. "Yes," he hissed, his eyes clamping shut as the tension on his manhood began to lessen. The warm evening air hit his hot flesh and his penis was finally able to stretch out properly in the refreshing open. There was a time when it would have bothered him to share so much with the fox so soon, but with all the dirty things they had been saying to each other, he felt a little more comfortable to allow himself to get lost in this passion and intimacy. What's more, they'd wanted each other for so long.

"Ha…" Sasuke felt his mouth water as burning breath caressed his dick. "I'm going to taste you now, teme," growled the fox, his voice filled with a masculinity that made his cock quiver.

"Oh yeaaah," the raven groaned, as the damp muscle ran down his piping shaft. "Tassste me…" Already, he could feel his throbbing member bubbling up with precum, as hot lips latched onto one of his testicles. Whole body tensing, the snake let out a depraved moan as the fox took him in his mouth, lapping and sucking his balls one by one. "Fuck, Naruto…" The moan turned into a choked gasp as a thumb came out of nowhere and began to rub around his tip, spreading the slick sperm over the head of his cock, that stood trembling and totally exposed to anything the fox planned to do. He began to pant as the double attack made his mind cloud over, and his eyes rolled up in his sockets. To his irritation, the thumb pulled itself away, but it was straight away replaced by the teasing lips, licking up his precum. Naruto let out a pleased growl, releasing the boy's shaft and licking his lips.

"Your cum tastes so fucking good, Sasuke," he murmured, pleased at the horny gasp that escaped his sweat soaked lover. Something wet bumped the fox's chin as Sasuke suddenly thrust forward, eager for more face fucking. "Don't worry. I'm going to make you come soon." Clamping his teeth together, the raven let out a muffled groan. The blond snickered and pushed his mouth over the tip of the boy's delicious hard-on, and didn't stop until he was halfway down the shaft.

"M-more!" gasped the snake, pushing himself further into Naruto's mouth. More than happy to oblige, the fox sucked hard and pulled up as fast as he could, right up past the tip, before using the built up force to suck his mouth back down Sasuke's cock all over again. "Ha-!" the raven cried, unable to help himself from bucking to meet the blond at the base of his dick. Never in his life had the snake felt anything like this. An overwhelming pleasure was building up inside him as the fox deep-throated him vigorously. It was so much that he was clawing madly at the grass, barely even noticing the aroused screams he was making. His mind was still ramen. It hadn't stopped being ramen for even a second – not once since Naruto told him that he loved him. But occasionally he'd remember just who was sharing in his insanity, only tipping him further into the abyss of this frenzied passion. Suddenly, he let out a terrible cry as something like an icicle ripped into him from behind. His eyes flashed white with agony as the dry finger pushed right into his ass out of nowhere. Upon hearing Sasuke's pained scream, the blond quickly withdrew, making the raven cry out again. Face green, Naruto lifted his mouth away from the slick, shaking member and stared wide-eyed at the boy.

"I'm sorry!" he gasped.

"Why did you do that?" the aghast raven wailed, feeling somewhat assaulted.

"I don't know. I thought you'd like it if I did that…" the fox muttered back, blushing toward the grass. Sasuke blinked. Suddenly, a blush fell across his own face and his chest tightened in embarrassment.

"Maybe… if your finger was wet… then it wouldn't hurt so much…" The blond's blue orbs flicked back to the lovestruck boy lying out in front of him. Still not looking back, the now uncomfortable snake plucked out a blade of grass. Huffing, the fox looked down at his fingers and collected a glob of saliva in his mouth, then dribbled on them in the hopes that the raven wouldn't notice.

"Sorry about that," he mumbled onto Sasuke's cock, making the boy drop the grass and sink back down into his pleasure wonderland. As Naruto resumed his heavy sucking of his lover's hardness, he let his wet fingers sneak around and encircle the backdoor.

"Fuuck," groaned the snake as gentle fingers traced his asshole and the hot mouth pounded his cock. Rolling his hips a little harder, he helped it to slide in and out of the fox's mouth faster and also gave the fingers better access to his hole. Having flicked and circled it until Sasuke was seconds from begging Naruto to finger him, the blond finally extended his slimy middle finger and slowly pushed it inside. "Tssss," the snake hissed, twisting in pleasure and pain as the foreign object gradually slid into him. He honestly didn't give a shit that it hurt anymore – as long as it wasn't dry – because Naruto Uzumaki was fingering him and sucking his dick, making erotic groans against his body. Moaning aggressively, he thrust into the blond's mouth and back down onto the finger, loving the feeling of being abused by his lover from the front and back at the same time. It didn't take long for the pleasure in deep in his ass to start building up, and he was left squirming, thrusting and screaming like a maniac. Hoisting himself up on his elbows, the raven watched in aphrodisia as Naruto sucked him madly, his eyes clamped shut as he worked. "Ha, ha, ha, ha," he panted, fucking the fox's beautiful face with heavy thrusts. This position also made a little easier to ride his lover's finger. "Hmph!" he groaned, as suddenly another wet finger entered his lewd asshole. His cock was so wet from the saliva that it was making filthy slurping noises with every suck and thrust. "Oh, Naruto…" The fingers inside him hooked slightly at this, scraping the walls inside him and making him moan, and the fox began to suck him so fast that his head was almost a blur. Rocking shakily, trying to keep up with this wild assault on his body, Sasuke felt his arms growing weaker as a white-hot sensation suddenly ripped through his body, burning him from the inside out. Gasping, but still thrusting, he let his vision clear, when the feeling returned and his mind was sent reeling. Animalism completely taking over, the raven began to thrust wildly, slamming the fingers into his prostate again. "Naruto!" Blue eyes flicked to the snake's sweaty, burning face smothered in dark hair. Judging by the taste in his mouth and the drool running down the boy's chin, he realised that the raven was just about finished. Sasuke clenched a little as the feeling of each thrust started getting exponentially better. His aching thighs pushing himself shakily but heavily into Naruto's mouth and onto the fingers began to tighten and his head rolled back as he felt the pleasure beginning to collect in the pit of his stomach. Before he knew it, the hot, vigorous mouth and fingers viciously prodding against his prostate were bringing his body to the edge of a full, shaking climax. "Tssss-Aaaah!" he screamed, as the orgasm ripped through him hard, shattering his body like he was made of ice. As the pieces sank back to the ground in a twitching pile, the blond lifted himself away and crawled forward to get a better view of his work. Sniggering, he watched, as the red-faced boy took slow, shuddering breaths. He licked the raven's love from his lips, savouring its flavour.

"I know that was supposed to be for you, but I enjoyed that a lot," the sly fox said, finally swallowing. Body like a sack of potatoes, Sasuke sighed and let the blond lift him slowly to sitting position.

"Hn," the snake breathed. Taking a moment to gaze at his satisfied lover, Naruto's azure eyes began to sparkle with adoration.

"You put on one hell of a show, baby," he muttered, leaning in to nuzzle the raven's white neck.

"I what?" drawled the snake irritably, but still running his hand through the fox's straw-coloured hair. "Give me a break."

"Sure," the blond shot back, pecking Sasuke sweetly on the cheek. "It's going to get really cold, so it'd be good if you could perform for me again in the spa pool." Despite wanting to snap the fox's neck for being a smart-ass, the shivers still running through his spine caught him in the throat at the underlying offer.

"Well, I don't have my swimming trunks handy," he whispered suggestively, nibbling at the top of Naruto's ear.

"That's okay – you can use a pair of mine," the fox replied quickly. The snake rolled his eyes, but as the blond's head suddenly shot up he made it look like he was glancing at… the moon or something. Snorting, he gave the boy a raised eyebrow from hooded eyes.

"What is it, dobe? Do I glow in the moonlight or something?" he slurred, lifting his hand to run a thumb down one of the marks on the fox's delicate cheeks.

"A little," smirked the blond, loosely clutching the wrist of the hand caressing him. Sasuke's brow furrowed as Naruto's face suddenly fell serious, and concern tugged at the corners of his lips. "But I just thought… Does this mean…" Completely aware of where this was going, as the fox's eyes fell away and his cheeks quickly began to glow bright red, the raven furiously grabbed his shoulder and pulled him into a swift kiss.

"Usuratonkachi. We're together, or someone's ass is going to get kicked," he told the wide-eyed blond, his voice barely louder than whispering. "And you've probably already guessed, but it has to be a secret."

"A public secret, or a secret secret?"

"A public secret, probably," the raven replied calmly, accepting that the somewhat stupid sounding question was probably reasonable in this case. "Well, it doesn't matter, but there are quite a lot of people that I know who'd object."

"Like who?" the fox coughed as he subconsciously began to play with Sasuke's fingers in his hands. The boy shrugged, enjoying having his stiff joints stretched.

"My father, stalkers, Shikamaru possibly, Orochimaru probably," he listed, intertwining his finger's with Naruto's.

"Ugh," the blond droned, sticking out his tongue and wrinkling his nose. "What a boner killer. What does Oro-shine-maru have to do with it?" Internally cursing himself for bringing it up, the snake shrugged again, smirking at the witticism.

"If I suck up a little to him he fawns after me. But he likes to think he controls me," the raven told him honestly. Suddenly, Naruto gasped as he was yanked forward so that he was nose-to-nose with the other. "But I'd rather not think about that at the moment. It really is a turn-off," he muttered, before smashing his lips into the fox's. For a while the blond kissed him back softly and lovingly, but he soon broke it.

"Let's go and get into the spa, Sasuke. It'll be way better," he suggested, pulling the mostly naked boy to his feet by his hand as he moved to go back into the apartment.

"Hn." Quickly zipping up his jeans, the snake hopped shakily after him. Hopefully this wouldn't be too awkward. At least when the fox had dealt with him just before, everything had managed to unfold by itself without either really having to think much. He gave the blond a nod as he held the door open for the raven to enter. Seeing as they were both guys, there was not much to worry about except general regret. But if Naruto were to regret this, Sasuke would probably have to kill him. Especially seeing as they were 'together' now. A swelling feeling of excitement began to grow like a bubble in his chest. It felt different to what power was giving him. For the second time that day, he felt like doing a twirl.

"Ne, Sasuke. Where are you going?" the blond asked him slowly, his brow furrowing as the raven absent-mindedly began to wander down to the living room. "I keep my clothes in my room, strangely enough." Screeching to a halt halfway down the stairs, the snake swiveled around and marched robotically back up. The fox almost sniggered as Sasuke stomped across the room and started to systematically search his drawers. Whenever the snake behaved 'indifferently' it meant he was normal. That was totally different to when he was acting 'blankly', and usually that meant he was ecstatic. Rolling his eyes, the blond strode across to the drawers on the other side of the room and plucked out a pair of checked swimming trunks and tossed them at the bastard's head. The snake threw out a hand and nabbed them out of the air before they got him.

"Thanks," he barely said, before dashing for the bathroom door.

"You can-" Too late. Sasuke already locked himself in. The fox pouted. "Change in front of me," he finished quietly, unbuttoning his jeans.

The size of the sigh that escaped the raven as sank down against the locked door could've blown the bathroom off the building. Even though the gorgeous boy with sparkling blue eyes had pushed him over his limit, he was still so turned on by the thought of making love to him. It was almost too much to bear. Pulling his jeans off his pale legs and slipping on Naruto's too-tight swimming trunks, he unlocked the door and pulled it back open – half in hope and half in dread that the fox wouldn't be finished changing himself. But he was.

"Hey hot stuff!" he laughed, bounding across to the snake and throwing strong arms around his pale waist.

"What are you doing?" cried the raven in objection as he was chucked over the blond's tanned shoulder and marched across the room. "I can walk, usuratonkachi!"

"You won't be able to walk for long, baby," growled the fox naughtily, running the semi-but-not-really-struggling boy down the stairs. "I'll make sure of that." Straight away, Sasuke's temperature shot for the sky.

"Hnnn," he slurred, kissing the patch of the blond's back that was in front of his nose. By the time he finished trailing his tongue over the delicious olive skin, it was glistening with his saliva. "I can't wait." As the tongue rolled over his back Naruto shivered and his brow began to sweat. Fumbling slightly with the handle of the glass door, he pulled it open and stepped out onto the tiles. They were still warm under his feet from the day. It was dark, but around the sparkling blue pool was the spa, right on the corner where they could see the sparkling lights of Tokyo all around them. Sasuke stiffened slightly in his arms as the fox tiptoed closer to the edge of the pool. "Put me down."

"Y-yeah, sure," he rasped back, lowering the raven gently to the ground. His chest seemed to tighten slightly as the reflection of the water caught the snake's soft skin, making him shimmer. Cold, dark eyes watched the blond, like they sucked in all the light.

"Naruto," soft lips said to him, and something warm brushed his arm. Taking the hand dazedly, the blond let himself be led across the warm tiles to the edge of the spa. "You know," the boy with night black hair murmured, brushing his fingers across the dusty cover of the pool, "I'm feeling really nervous."

"Well, we don't have t-"

"No," the raven interrupted, pinning Naruto to the wall with an intense stare. "I'm only nervous because I want… It'd be wrong if I wasn't nervous, considering how long I've…" Words just seemed to escape him as his heart quickly began to fall away. The way the fox was gazing back was just making him melt. Nodding slowly, the blond moved to lift one end of the lid covering the hot tub and dragged the dripping, steaming apparatus off the dark pool and leaning it up against the wall. As he flicked a switch the pool suddenly burst into life, bathing itself in a blue glow and bubbling up with a gentle hum. Watching the churning water made the raven's stomach curl up slightly, but it was soon forgotten as two arms slid around his front and the heat of Naruto's body rubbed against him from behind.

"This is comfy," the blond breathed, extending his tongue and running it slowly up the pale neck. Sasuke let out an enduring hiss as the body behind him rolled his hips, sending something hard sliding up between his ass cheeks.

"You better not tease me so much this time, dobe," he slurred back, sliding away from the presence lifting his leg over and slipping it into the deliciously hot water. His breath almost hitched, as it felt so relaxing on his tense, worked muscles. He'd been dying for a bath, but this felt like massaging fingers running over his skin and a wash at the same time. Sighing deeply, he hoisted his whole body over and lowered himself into the steaming soup.

"Hey, check this out," the blond giggled, crawling in after him and wading across to the control panel.

"Hn," grumbled the snake as he sank sleepily back into the massaging jets pounding his back. Suddenly, his hooded eyes flicked back open as the water began to glow red, before fading into purple. Staring mesmerized into the water while it shifted colours, his eyes soon shut by themselves. It was so relaxing. Gentle, spicy heat, jets of water rolling down his spine, splashing lightly at his shoulders, steam building up on his face, wafts of air caressing his cheeks, moist lips brushing against his…

"Don't go to sleep, baby. It'd break my heart." His eyes fluttered open as arms hooked around his waist. When Naruto kissed him it felt so feathery and soft, even as their tongues flicked together. Gently sliding Sasuke's body forward, the blond used his own body to lever the raven's body up. Humming into the kiss, the snake wrapped his legs around the other's waist and clung onto him, letting himself be dragged onto the fox's lap.

"You're digging into me," he growled flirtatiously, trailing his fingers down the blond's stomach to the elastic of his swimming trunks. Naruto smirked. He had no idea that Sasuke would get like this when he was aroused. Normally he'd imagined that the raven would be awkward and shy. This was better though – more like a fantasy. Seriously, the snake really was putting on a performance for him. Nipping the fox's cheekbone and running his fingers along the edge of the trunks, the snake leaned back and bit his lip, letting out a very turned on hiss.

"Fuck," Naruto breathed, his eyes widening in hunger. "I'm not going to need much foreplay." Leaning forward he caught his love in another kiss, but this time it was hot and fiery, with a lot more tongue and heavy pants. Still engaged in pinning the fox to the edge of the pool with his tongue, Sasuke tugged on the trunks and felt them slip a little, but they caught on something.

"Ha," he panted, pulling away from the kiss and looking down at the lump that wasn't letting the trunks go down any further. Feeling himself go a little red, he clenched his teeth and slipped one of his hands down to grasp the blond's member sharply, making them both groan. "It's so… it feels so hard in my hand," he murmured, pulling the swimming trunks right down to the fox's knees.

"Sasuke, are you drooling?" Blinking rapidly, the raven forced himself to tear his eyes away from the excitingly large cock he was holding and stare back at Naruto. The fox smirked and shuffled his legs, working the trunks down to his feet.

"Dobe. Take off my trunks. I don't know why you gave them to me in the first place," he complained, as the smug boy ripped away the Velcro fly and pulled the trunks down slowly, starting around Sasuke's ass. Groaning in depravation, the raven clambered off the other's lap and tore them away. "Look who's drooling, now."

"Fuck you," the blond growled, pulling the boy sharply back into his lap and forcing their hardness's together with his hand. The snake screamed in pleasure, throwing his head back and rubbing himself against the fox. Having his sensitive foreskin creating friction against Naruto's felt as intense as sandpaper but stimulating like nothing else. "God, Sasuke." Moaning as teeth bit down on his nipple, the raven's hands flew to support the blond's head.

"Please," he groaned, the pleasure already enough to make his mind cloud over. "Fuck me, Naruto… I don't want to wait anymore…"

"Hmm… desperate, are we?" teased the blond, licking the incredibly wired chest to make it shudder. But the truth was, the fox was getting close to being as desperate as Sasuke was, especially seeing as he had someone as conservative as the Uchiha admitting that he needed this as badly as the fox did.

"Yes!" gasped the raven, as a finger traced down his cleft. "I'm going to kill you, Naruto Uzumaki. You know what I want, so stop making fun of me and give it to me," he hissed through clenched teeth, his patience wearing thin at the blond's torture. Smirking, Naruto slid his fingers in deeper, making the snake shudder and grind his hips into the other's crotch.

"I just have to do this first," mumbled the blond into the raven's shoulder, circling his finger around the rim of the entrance.

"Hurry up," the boy half moaned, as the tip pushed into him. It really didn't hurt at all, as the finger slid right up, but it was a little uncomfortable and didn't feel all that nice. Gnawing his lip and planting his gaze onto the soft glow of the city, he lifted his body up slowly before lowering it back down onto the fox's hand. "Shit…"

"Can I put in another finger? You're really tight down there and I don't want to hurt you," Naruto asked him, tenderly stroking Sasuke's shaft. As the snake gave a shaky nod, he extended his index and gradually forcing it into the pale boy's incredibly tight hole. This half excited the fox that he'd be able to be inside such a hot, narrow passage like the raven's ass, but it was also a bit annoying. It was almost too tight, like it'd take a bit of work just to loosen it up enough. "Relax, baby." Taking a deep breath, the snake did as he was told and let his tense body slacken.

"Hmph!" he cried, as the fingers suddenly slid in all the way like burning pokers. It was a good burn. Moaning in an aroused agony, he rocked himself over them, trying to make the heat burn him more. Scissoring his fingers, the blond stretched the raven out and clawed his insides, as the water in the pool began to slosh harder with the dark-haired boy's shaky movements. "No," Sasuke whimpered, gripping the back of the fox's fingers as the heat washing over him began to give him sharp chills. "Please, Naruto… I can't take this anymore…" Naruto bit his lip. It didn't feel all that loose yet, but the raven was getting so hot on top of him.

"O-okay. But it's your fault if I hurt you," he warned, as he withdrew his fingers. Glancing up, he felt a small spark of relief at the defiance in the dark eyes.

"My body is covered in scars that you've given me over the years, dobe. Don't patronise me," the snake drawled, his icy voice freezing the surface of the pool. But it failed to cool the blond's blue-flame eyes. Grabbing his cock, he pushed it against the raven's hole.

"Fine then, teme."

"F-fuuck!" Sasuke screamed, tensing up as the head prodding his hole suddenly pushed inside.

"Come on! If you're so tough then you can take this," growled Naruto, roughly thrusting himself deeper into the ass that felt like a steaming hot vice around his dick. Now it was the blond's turn to hiss in pain as sharp nails ripped into his tanned shoulders, blood bubbling up around the wounds.

"Nngh… Ah!" It felt as though his guts were being shoved right up, like he was about to be sick. The raven tried to lift himself away, but the fox only followed him up. "If you're going to be like that, then move!" he spat, as cold sweat trickled down his sweating, shaking body. Only hesitating very slightly, just to catch the raging lust in his lover's eyes, the blond began to work, slamming his hips up into the boy above him before pulling back down. Sasuke was so tight and hot, like nothing he'd ever felt before. But he had to slow down. The raven's eyes were clamped shut and he was as rigid as stone.

"Baby?" the fox asked cautiously, as the sloshing water calmed down slightly. "Are you okay?" A pang of discomfort hit the blond in the chest at the thought of their first time being… not very good. There was a reason he wanted to do it in the spa pool. As there was no response from the snake, he sighed and let them sink back into the seat. Just as the disappointed boy was about to pull out, his heart throbbed and his jaw dropped. Sasuke let out a soft moan, as his face seemed to relax a little. His body arched forward and he draped his pale arms around Naruto's olive neck. Lifting himself up shakily, he gradually lowered himself back down the fox's shaft, letting out shallow breaths into the boy's ear. "Fuck… fuck Sasuke," the blond breathed, as the snake slowly rode him.

"I don't want this to be slow, Naruto. Fuck me already," the raven hissed, the pain burning his whole lower area beginning to turn cold with chills of pleasure. Finally answering the poor boy's pleas, the fox's hands slid down Sasuke's slick back and into the water, gripping his ass. The raven groaned, pulling himself up a bit more quickly to come back down onto the blond's hardness with force. Only this time Naruto guided his movements with his hands, and bucked into him with strength that made the snake whimper and clutch the boy tighter.

"Sasuke… you make my body feel hotter than this damn spa," the blond groaned, as they slammed together, sloshing water onto the tiles. Sasuke leaned back, allowing the fox a better view of his slick chest, which was so white that it caught the colourful, shimmering reflection of the water. But what they were doing felt so amazing, made them feel so high, that when he closed his eyes it felt like those bright colours were still phasing in and out in his head.

"Oh yessss," the snake hissed, the discomfort of a foreign object thrusting in and out of his ass suddenly feeling unbelievably good, as Naruto's thick member slammed deeper inside his body. The blond growled and ran a tongue over his top lip. The raven's whole body was shaking visibly, and it was completely glistening with his hair pasted to his face. And with each deep thrust that he made, the façade covering the boy's beautiful eyes cracked more at the growing tension.

"Give me your passion, baby," groaned the fox; his whole body tensing at the erotic thought of having something Sasuke had never given. "I want it all, Sasuke. I don't want it in little waves – I want it all."

"Naruto!" the raven cried, as suddenly the blond's arms locked under his legs and lifted him dripping out of the water. Moaning through clenched teeth, he gripped Naruto's neck tightly as he was fucked standing up – well, he was clinging on and the fox was standing. "Harder, damn it, Naruto!" he roared, frustrated that he couldn't buck into the blond.

"Fuck!" the fox yelled, as his arms began to burn from the stress of carrying the raven in his arms. "Here," he growled, wading for the edge of the balcony. Panting heavily, he hoisted the boy onto the edge of the spa. "Hold onto the railing with your arms, okay?" he said, as the snake gave him a quizzical look.

"I like the way you think," Sasuke said with a smirk. Still holding onto Naruto with one arm for support, the raven hooked the other around the handrail, before leaning back completely over the gap between the pool and the rail like a hammock.

"Ha… Perfect," the blond said through gritted teeth. That bastard looked too hot for words, laid across the space like he was on a platter. The raven gasped and reeled back on his shoulders as the fox started to thrust into him again – somehow, his cock seemed to slip forward even more into his posterior. A little more, and…

"Ah fuck!" he screamed, his pale body convulsing as the end of Naruto's cock slammed into the bundle of nerve endings that was his prostate. White-hot urges shot through him, like it was just under the surface of his skin, and using his arms as leverage, he began to slam back into the hot dick that was fucking him. God, this felt so much better than a blowjob, or being fingered. Every thrust felt so good that each time his voice was slammed out of his body in the lewdest fashion. "Yessss, Naruto!" he cried, grinning madly as the blond banged him on the edge of the spa pool. And Naruto's face too, was almost as sexy as the feeling that drove the snake insane every time the fox's cock smashed into his prostate. Blond hair was swaying wildly with each feverish heave, and his foxy eyes seemed to flicker between amber and cobalt blue, as the blond seemed to lose control of his own primal desires as well.

"Sasuke… You're so deep, and hot, and tight… You're making me loopy. Absolutely fucking wild," he grunted, his eyes wide with lust. His tanned skin was slick from the sweat and steam, and the changing light caught every drop of moisture on his body. "So long, I've wanted to be with you, and do these things to you." Sasuke shivered and shuddered below, as a strange mixture of hot and cold shot through his nerves. This moment just needed to last forever.

"I love you, Naruto Uzumaki. I want you to be the only one who can do this to me," the raven groaned through the wheezing pants that the pounding cock forced out of him. The feeling flying from his prostate as he saw the fox smirk swamped a small, barely noticeable pang of surprise.

"So you're finally opening up a little, ne Sasuke?" the blond puffed, expecting the sex crazed grin to be smacked off the snake's face. But the grin stayed. If anything, it grew, and his dark obsidian eyes seemed to sparkle (or maybe that was the water and lights).

"Of course I'm open, fox boy. Make the fucking most of it!" he laughed, as the blond's eyes finally settled on a fiery amber.

"I told you that you wouldn't be able to walk," he growled.

"Make it so. God, Naruto! Fuck me faster, or I'll do it myself." Narrowing his animalistic eyes, the blond obliged and began to slam himself faster into the stretched, tired hole. More and more water was being sloshed out of the pool. There'd be nothing left at the speed that Naruto was pounding the boy's sweet ass. Fucking sounds and wet noises of the two bodies colliding together almost matched Sasuke's vulgar moans, with the voracity he was being pummeled at. "Hngh, oh yessss!" he cried, as a hand suddenly grabbed his neglected hard-on and began to pump him.

"Oh, Sasuke… You feel so good," the fox puffed, barely closing his mouth. "I feel close to coming…"

"Then go ahead!" gasped the raven in return. His arms were fast beginning to ache, and so was the whole lower half of his body as it began to tense up slowly. Without even realizing it, he had started to buck hard into the hand pumping his dick, and he was clenched tightly around the rod pounding his prostate. No wonder he was shaking so much. "I… I can't… Ahaha… ha!" His words seemed to become harder to say as his moans began to come out with each breath he took. Everything in his body seemed to be preparing for something as his thrusts became harder and harder to control, and his muscles started tightening painfully. Yet even as he started moving more erratically, Naruto continued to fuck him ruthlessly into the railing. "Ha…ahaha… Naharuto…" Cold sweats felt like they were running the wrong way up the blond's goddamn spine – everything felt so backwards, but so amazing he hammered into the boy who was making the hottest sounds he'd ever heard.

"Y-yes, Sasuke… take my dick," he stammered, thrusting wildly into his lover. Shit, those words nearly sent Sasuke over the edge, but he held on. It was the same as before, but so much more held back. All the pleasure of each thrust and pump of his member seemed to stay and build up inside him, almost to the point where it was too much for his body to handle. The only way to release it seemed to be through his ever-increasing volume.

"Hnnghttshit! Ahahaha," he moaned, close to breaking the wall with how hard his arms were crushing it. Now even Naruto was having trouble control his voice as their collisions became untimed and jerky. "A-ha!" Suddenly, his whole body seemed to vibrate violently, and the blond let out a throaty groan as the raven tightened around the member in his ass. Utter pleasure, urge, feelings that felt more amazing than the entire experience of sex smashed into one, absolute euphoria, exploded like a firework from his crotch and tore through his body like a flash fire. "Fuck!" he moaned, as cum that was just about steaming burst from the end of his penis and splattered across the fox's tanned chest. At the exact same time, something hot erupted inside him and Naruto suddenly pushed into him with one last thrust and left it there, panting for air. The snake's eyes seemed to go dark for a second, as he clung to the wall shivering wildly, his whole lower region throbbing.

"Ugh," the blond mumbled, releasing the softening member from his clammy hand. "I wish that could've gone on forever…" By now, the snake's arms were shaking so hard that he was finding it hard not to slip and fall down the gap. Raising a shivery eyebrow at the fox, he tried to indicate that he needed some help up, but the blond seemed more interested in pulling out and sinking down into the refreshing spa water. That left the exhausted raven clinging pathetically to the railing – not to mention in a very embarrassing position.

"U-usuratonkachi," he tried to growl, but managed little more than a mumble. "D-don't get my cum in the water. That's gross. A-and help me out here, will you?"

"Hm? Yeah sure," Naruto muttered, giving Sasuke a spoony smile. As the raven was pulled back into a comfortable position, he finally let out a grand sigh and slipped into the water. "You aren't exactly clean either, teme. Let's take a shower and go to bed." The snake raised an eyebrow darkly at him.

"What happened to staying up all night, dobe?" At this the fox merely shrugged.

"I didn't realise that I'd get so tired. You can sleep with me, though, after a quick shower." Sasuke smirked.

"Sounds good. Not sure if I can walk up the stairs, though." For a second they shared in a laugh, but somehow it was lost in a lustful gaze as their eyes locked. The raven tilted his head as Naruto bit his lip.

"How was that so good? I mean, we came at the same time and everything," he said, his voice quickly trailing away as the snake rolled his eyes.

"Obviously because it's you and me. We're meant to be together, clearly. Fate seems to have made it so that I go wherever you go, so it's fitting that I should come whenever you come." Giving him a look of disbelief through half lidded eyes, the blond nabbed a pair of floating swimming trunks and threw them at the bastard's face. This time, the raven's exhausted arms weren't quick enough to stop it, and the wet fabric slapped him right in the face.

"Yeah. Obviously. Come on, Birthday boy. I have a lot of soppy shit to get through before I can go to sleep tonight. Seriously, it's shit that my heart can't contain… and shit," Naruto told him vacantly, grabbing his own trunks and wringing them out. Partly out of complete, utter joy of finally having the love he felt for the blond returned, but mostly just out of hilarity at the ridiculous sentence, Sasuke found himself bursting out in laughter. As for the joker, he felt so worn out that he contented the raven with no more than a smile.

"I know what you mean. Believe it or not, I have a lot of shit like that too," he snickered, bringing the blond into a warm embrace. "You know, in my heart or whatever."

**OH LA LA. C'etait tres sextastic, non? Non, je ne l'ai pense pas... Yeah what did that even mean in French I dunno it's like 00:40 at the moment which isn't a good time for my french... God you know, I've never really written a lemon before and (i think this one is pretty freakin average). But that is A-OKAY. Because now I can sleep. And I only have one more exam which means ===== UpdatesWeekly! I hope.**


	12. Blurred Vision

**Here we go the next exciting installment! I like this chapter :D I wonder how much you've figured out so far... Shit is going to go down folks! (Unedited I will update this chapter when I've given it a quick read thru...)**

12 – Blurred Vision

_Buzz…_ _Buzz…_

"Sasuke… your phone just beeped." The raven's eyelids fluttered open as spicy breath blew softly against his cheek. For a moment, he was blinded as the sun was caught in the fox's golden hair, but the glare quickly melted away and he found himself nose to nose with a smiling face. Exhaling deeply as his heart started to fill his chest, Sasuke reached out an affectionate hand to stroke Naruto's whisker-marked cheek.

"Hn." Last night's events… they can't have just been a dream. How many times had he woken up his bed, wishing that the blond would be there too? Now he could all the time, take it for granted, and never feel embarrassed for wanting to be with the fox again. "Yeah, I'd better get that. Sorry."

"Okay. We need to get up before Dad gets back anyway," the blond replied, sliding off the snake's body and reaching across for the buzzing phone.

"Thanks," the raven sighed blearily as the device was pushed into his cheek. If it was Orochimaru, he didn't want to miss it. Ever since that medallion stopped feeding him strength his hunger only seemed to be growing.

_You need to come home now. See you in the next ten minutes._ Sasuke threw a quick glance to Naruto, who was smiling swoonily back.

"I kind of have to go right now. Itachi's orders," he grumbled, tearing away the bedcovers and throwing his feet down to the floor. Breathing out gently, the fox crawled across the bed and draped his arms around the pale shoulders.

"Not before I give you your present," he said, laying a soft kiss on the exposed neck. The raven snorted, but leaned into the lips regardless.

"Ts. Why the hell would you bother to get me a present?" he scoffed, even as his cheeks began to heat up.

"Hey, I didn't know that this was going to happen! Really, I'm not going to withdraw your present just because of last night. I thought you were straight anyway," the blond replied, frowning up at the little he could see of his lover's face. "Most people are, you know."

"Usuratonkachi." Ignoring the snide comment completely, Naruto moved to the edge of the bed and felt underneath. The snake decided to ignore him back, and started to put on his jeans and shirt.

"Here it is! If you don't like it, I'll kill you, teme." Shooting the blond a cynical sneer, he grabbed the tiny box wrapped in orange paper out of his hands.

"I'd like to see you try. You know it only takes forty minutes for my venom to kill," he said, licking his lips and sliding his finger under the paper. The fox watched with excited eyes as Sasuke levered away the paper and revealed the gift inside. "Where did you get this?" Cold eyes were fixed on the tiny frame in shock.

"We've had this photo for ages," the blond laughed, a grin splitting across his face. "I know it's tiny, but I figure that you don't need more money." A spark of warmth buzzed in his freezing chest as the raven looked down at the two soft faces beaming up at him.

"It's pretty cheesy, dobe," he mumbled, still staring blankly the picture of the two of them just before they went up the super scary roller coaster. "When did we do that, again?"

"Uh… I was seven, I think. Our family took you there for your eighth birthday." For a second, the snake tapped it against his hand; before he thrust it in his pocket and bent down to pick up his socks.

"Best present I've ever had. Thanks," he muttered, as soon as his shoes were on his feet. "I'll just be going, then. Tell Minato I said thanks for dinner, too." Without even bothering to look back, he made his way to the stairs with his eyes fixed on the screen of his phone. If he locked eyes with the blond he might be able to leave.

"Ne, Sasuke!" Naruto called, dashing to the edge of the stairs and grabbing the boy's waist.

"What?" snapped Sasuke, as he fought his instincts to jump over the fox and kiss him silly.

"Happy Birthday. I love you. Goodbye. That is all."

"Hn," he smiled, breathing in the boy's scent. "Sorry that I have to go. I'll see you again as soon as possible." The raven didn't want to say those things back, but that was okay. Of course, the blond already knew how much the snake hated that crap. It didn't mean he didn't have feelings.

Sasuke blinked.

"Happy Birthday!" they chorused, as Sakura grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside.

"What the fuck is this?" he hissed, tearing himself away and glaring venomously at the four people he was quickly losing respect for. "If this is a fucking surprise party… I hate birthday parties!"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Shikamaru sighed, rolling his eyes. "We just wanted to give you a birthday card. Every time anyone gets you a present you yell at them, so it's a compromise. Come on." Steam pouring out of his ears, he was practically frog marched up the stairs behind the others by Itachi.

"I was at Naruto's house! I thought this would be something important," he barked, as they dragged him into his bedroom and tossed him onto his bed.

"This is something important," the cherry-blossom whined, moving to sit with him.

"No it's not. I don't need you to remind me that we're friends just because I was born exactly eighteen years ago," the snake spat.

"Man up, Sasuke," said the dog. "As you said, you're turning eighteen – not five. So quit making such a fuss. Besides, you left me hanging yesterday so you could hang out with a complete moron." Panting softly in quiet fury, the raven's eyes narrowed dangerously and his hands clenched into fists.

"Why don't you say that again?" he slurred. Slowly standing up off the bed, he tried to stare the brunet down, although the raven was shorter.

"Relax. I'm entitled to my opinion," Shikamaru told him with tired eyes. Somewhere beside them, Gaara and Itachi exchanged worried glances. "Hell, Sasuke, if you want him then you know I'm here to help."

"Oh is that so, Shikamaru? Like hell I'd want your help. You'd probably think it's all just too 'troublesome'," Sasuke bit out, reaching out and shoving the brunet away.

"Ugh," gasped the boy as he stumbled backward. "Sasuke?" As the furious raven suddenly flinched and his face went a little pale, Gaara darted forward a little and shook his friend's shoulder.

"Wh-what… am I doing? Are you okay, Shikamaru?" the wide-eyed snake spluttered as he backed onto his bed.

"He's fine. Are you?" the redhead asked, his brow furrowed.

"Yeah," Sakura agreed, putting her arm around the raven's shaking shoulders. "That really is the more pressing question here. It's your birthday, and you've just spent the night with Naruto. Did something happen?"

"Ngh…" Rubbing his forehead gently, Sasuke waited for his mind to clear up. Why did everything keep going out of focus? It was like his mind kept having moments of complete incoherency. "Naruto… Naruto and I had sex last night," he whispered. He could've shouted it. Still staring down into his lap, all he could do was wait for someone to break the deafening silence. But no one had the guts to, with one look at Itachi's face. It wasn't that his expression had changed; so much as it was that his expression hadn't changed. Sakura had gasped, Shikamaru's jaw all but fell off his face, and Gaara's eyes shot open, the grip on the snake's shoulder tightened. As for the older Uchiha, his eyes only seemed to ice over as he stared darkly at his not-so-innocent baby brother. The room froze as soon as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Does that make Gaara the only one left to find someone for?" All that escaped the others lips were short gasps of something between surprise and relief.

"I prefer solitude," the redhead replied, looking at Sasuke with a spark of curiosity.

"You prefer solitude plus Neji," laughed Sakura, in an unsuccessful attempt to raise the temperature in the room.

"I'm not sure how I feel about Neji," the lizard said, fixing her with an intense gaze.

"Excuse me," huffed the raven, flicking his hair out of his face. "I don't really feel like talking at the moment. Can we make this quick?" All he wanted to do was eat some breakfast, and then lie down somewhere for a very long time. His whole body was aching from one day and one night of serious exercise – especially his butt.

"Wait, wait," the mouse started, shaking her head. "You and Naruto are… an item now?" Exhaling deeply, the snake gently rubbed the sore muscles in the back of his neck with one hand.

"Hn." Suddenly, two arms flew around his shoulders and he found himself in a bear hug.

"That's just wonderful, Sasuke!"

"Yeah! You must be so happy," agreed the brunet, stepping forward to ruffle the boy's dark hair. Gaara and Itachi both had small smiles tugging at their lips. "It's like… the best birthday present ever."

"Hn. I still don't feel like talking," grumbled Sasuke. Finally, a hand carrying an envelope was waved in front of his face and he nabbed it.

"There you go, you asshole. Happy Birthday," Shikamaru teased, as the scowling boy flipped the envelope around in his fingers.

"I'm not opening it now. I need to mull some things over first."

"Hey Sasuke," the girl burst out, tapping her friend's shoulder. "Do you feel like making the slightest bit of sense anytime soon?" The snake's lips seemed to stiffen, and his cold eyes fell on her with deepest loathing.

"Do you feel like leaving?" he drawled, his eyes narrowing. "I don't have time for you." Almost straight away, Sakura's sweet face began to snarl.

"We noticed!" she snapped. "You don't have time for any of us anymore, do you?"

"Yeah!" Shikamaru burst out, throwing his arm toward the girl. "She's right. It's not as though you have to decide between Naruto and us."

"We've always supported you, Sasuke," Gaara added, his brow furrowing, "so stop getting shitty with us." Only taking a moment to glance between his three friends, the raven could see the intense frustration that they were feeling. They were all angry and upset because of him, and the way he'd been treating them. His mouth fell open slightly as his dark eyes stopped at the redhead – his best friend. As he watched the confusion and fury swimming in the lizard's blue eyes, Sasuke's mouth slowly closed and his lips stretched into a smirk.

"There's no use trying to cover it. My contempt toward you will always leak out, won't it?" he slurred, his smile broadening in satisfaction at his friend's widening eyes. "I suggest that you leave."

"Sasuke," Gaara sighed, his eyes and the corners of his mouth trembling slightly. The girl's hands were trembling as she watched the redhead search for words, and the brunet held his breath. As for the raven, he simply lifted himself off the bed and brushed past the dog to place the envelope on his dresser. "You need help."

"Get out of my house, and get out of my life." It was cold, but he had no need to explain himself to them.

"Sasuke," the girl whimpered, as his cruel words pierced her heart. "How could you?" She'd been told over and over that this was the true face of that jet-black reptile, but she couldn't believe it. They all loved him, so how could he do this to them?

"That's enough, Sakura. We should just go," Shikamaru muttered, putting an arm around her and helping the poor girl off the bed. "True friends don't just disappear, Sasuke, so this isn't over." Suddenly, he paused, and glanced quickly at the grave-faced redhead. "No. You aren't really Sasuke, are you? Not anymore." Sniggering slightly, the snake turned back to smirk at the brunet. Trying hard to keep his volume below shouting, the lizard tried again.

"We're leaving. Don't do this to yourself," he growled, his voice shaking. That look of contempt made him want to punch it right out of the bastard's system, but he couldn't do that. It wasn't as if that would work. What made it even more frustrating was that the brunet was wrong. Of course it was Sasuke. Heart like a terrible weight in his chest, Gaara broke the burning eye contact with the boy who was once his closest friend and lead Sakura and the dog across the room and out the door. It was humiliating, feeling that nasty, familiar smile burning into the backs of their heads. Wait. Familiar? The lizard paused. Suddenly, he shot back around to the snake with wide eyes. "You-?" Tilting his head slightly and narrowing his eyes, the raven waited for the lizard to continue, but he didn't. Instead, the blue eyes turned to scrutiny and his lips tightened, and he swept away with the others at his tail.

"You are more of a moron than your boyfriend." As his face quickly twisted into a sneer, Sasuke whipped around to his brother and let out a long hiss. Even as the taller brother approached him, his face hard and emotionless, the stubborn raven didn't allow himself to become intimidated. If anything, he hissed louder. "More than that though – you're a parasite, feeding off other people like a leech. It's disgusting."

"Hn. It's interesting that this is how you'd describe me, when that's exactly how I see you," the snake droned. "Feeding off father's appreciation and support, while being too weak to do anything to help save our family."

"Oh yes, of course," simpered Itachi, his dark eyes cutting into his brother like a knife. "And killing father and crippling me will make everything better, won't it?" A small gasp escaped the young raven's lips as his eyes narrowed in surprise. The older snake smiled. "I thought so."

"Kill him? I don't want to kill anyone!" he cried, stumbling backward. "Is this what you think? That I'm some kind of psycho killer?" Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his throat as his brother flew toward him and pinned him to the wall, his forearm pinning the boy's neck and his other arm holding his arms above his head. It happened so fast that the raven barely even saw Itachi as he was slammed roughly against the wall.

"You have no idea what you're going up against, and no idea why. Watch yourself, Sasuke. Don't let obsession stop you from doing the right thing." Struggling against the strong arms, the snake glared viciously at his brother.

"Ts. You've said that before, I recall. And I get it now, nii-san: you're covering your own ass," he spat. "You know I'm not weak anymore. I can do anything." A snarl written lightly on his straight face, Itachi leaned in to his brother.

"You're half right. I am covering my ass. But you're wrong about your so-called strength. All you are is how others see you, and as long as inspire anger and as long as you continue to be a slave to power people will always defy you. That is why you are weak."

"And I will control those who defy me. That is strength! I will never fear or allow myself to be controlled by anyone again – including you and including father," growled Sasuke. If he transformed now, he could beat his brother to the ground. But it was too soon – if he stuffed it up it'd be over and the older raven would never let his guard down again.

"Yes, but does that include Orochimaru?"

"Hn," gasped the snake, his eyes narrowing even more. "How did you know about that?" A smirk seemed to dance on the edges of Itachi's lips, but only just.

"I am the chairman's firstborn, after all." The boy snorted, rolling his eyes away.

"Ts. There is nothing that I do for him that I don't want to do. Orochimaru is powerful, but when I have taken everything I can from him, then I'll leave."

"And that is why you are a parasite," he whispered, finally releasing his brother's hands and throat. Tearing himself away, the young raven clenched his teeth and stared at his older sibling with hatred ripping through his body almost harder than he could bear. Itachi turned away and strode directly for the door, his shoulders as stiff as boards. He only paused for a moment as he stepped out and into the hall. "Happy Birthday, nii-chan. Father wishes to speak with you now that your friends have left."

"Wonderful," the boy barked, stomping across the room and barging past his brother. "Do you think he'll be glad to hear I'm finally in a relationship?"

"What? No, Sasuke! He'll kick you out if he knows about that!" the distraught young man called after the raging boy, but it was too late, as he practically bounded up the stairs leading to their father's study. There was no need to worry about being kicked out anymore, though. Naruto would take care of him. The only person left that he loved and felt loved by would be his salvation and would provide him sanctuary if he needed it. Brimming with confidence, the snake traipsed toward a small, elegant desk across the ornate yet lifeless corridor, before snatching up the bell from its cushion and shaking it impatiently. The sound it made was not beautiful. It was too sharp, and too cold.

"Enter," came a deep voice from behind the heavy wooden door. As usual, the boy was shivering all over as he reached for the knob. But this time, it was completely different. For the first time, he wanted to be the one the power. There would be nothing that his father could say to make him back down. With a grunt and a shove, the door clicked open and he was flooded in the freezing grey light of Fugaku's office.

"Hello Father. Was there something you needed?" he asked coldly, his eyes flicking around the dusty room, past the large bookcases and corporate windows to settle on the stern man standing by the pane, smoking his pipe. Fugaku's rigid gaze was set out across the garden to the old ginko tree, whose branches stretched high into the blue spring sky. Shifting uncomfortably from one foot to the other, Sasuke let the door click shut behind him. If his father ever ignored a question it was usually because the lecture to follow was not to be taken lightly. Finally, the dark haired man took a deep suck from his pipe and brought his eyes to meet those of his son. Smoke blew out his nostrils heavily as the man let out a sigh and his brow creased with dissatisfaction at what he saw before him.

"You're eighteen years old today. Congratulations on making it this far in your insignificant little life." Almost biting down on his tongue to stop himself from losing his temper, the snake moved further into the room to stand closer to his father. He needed to be able to look the man in the eye when he told him the truth.

"Thank-you, Father." Fugaku's black eyes seemed to narrow slightly, as though he was struggling to focus on the young man waiting patiently before him.

"And so you should be thanking me. A waste of air like yourself should be grateful that I'm kind enough to keep you. However, if you really want to thank me, you'll get your act together," his father told him, each word creating a tiny cloud of grey smoke.

"I have been 'getting my act together', father. I'm with someone – in a relationship," the raven said, fighting back the smirk threatening to anger the volatile man. Instead, the smirk found itself to his father, as he took another great suck of his pipe. It was quite an ugly pipe, Sasuke thought, as his father's face disappeared into another twisting mess of grey. The bowl was patterned with ring-shaped grooves all the way down the black wood making it look like a microphone, and the stem seemed far too thin compared to the rest of the implement. While a lot of people smoked at Uchiha academy, the raven had always refused to take it up no matter how drunk he might get. It was really just a matter of principle. He didn't want to be anything even resembling his father.

"Is that so?" the man said with a gentle nod. Sasuke could at least be thankful that he looked considerably more like his mother than he looked like Fugaku. Itachi was the one who took after him. "Since when?"

"Last night."

"Is that so?" his father repeated, not breaking the eye contact he had with the solemn boy. "Something I can rely on you for. Who is she? Somebody? Or is she nobody?" Face straight and deficit of emotion, the young man held the man's gaze for just a moment longer, before finally letting the dark smile slip silently across his lips. Right away, the man with dusty black hair's lips stiffened at the defiance in his son's placid eyes.

"Who he is has nothing to do with you," he began slowly, as the rush of standing up to the tyrant pounded through his body. It was ecstacy. "And yes, to me he is somebody." As he sucked in his father's changing expression, he felt himself shiver in satiation. The eyes watching him went rapidly from discontent to so much more than Sasuke had ever seen before, and it almost drove him wild.

"What do you mean 'he'?" the man barked, as his down turned lips began to snarl and his eyes found something like horror. "Are you a male? Or are you a faggot?" he roared, slamming his pipe down onto the windowpane.

"I'm homosexual, and I'm a man, father," the raven flawlessly told the enraged man, barely batting an eyelid as the considerably taller adult advanced upon him, his face red with anger. Before he could control it, the adrenaline helping the words flow from his mouth pushed him to continue. "There really is nothing quite like having another man inside your ass. I wasn't going to suggest it, but being married has never really stopped you trying out all sorts of things with all sorts of people, has it?" Every word seemed to make the man flinch terribly, but he still managed to make his way close enough to grab his son's collar and pull him forward.

"Say all you want, you fool!" Fugaku spat, disgusted at the snake's broadening smile. "Say all you want, but you have no idea what this is going to mean for us! No matter what you might prefer, you must marry a woman! You must!"

"I don't think so," coughed the raven, as the smell of smoke reached his nostrils. "This one is out of your hands."

"No, Sasuke. You don't understand," his father growled. At the sound of his own name leaving his father's lips, not the oh-so familiar 'boy', the snake frowned. Suddenly, the man's eyes seemed desperate, and even afraid. "If you don't marry and produce legitimate children, then the name of Uchiha will be buried forever." _What?_ Tearing himself away from the man's grasp and stumbling back, he stared at his father, his pupils lost in the whites of his eyes.

"What are you talking about? Itachi is with someone too. He's in love with my friend Haruno Sakura," he pressed, searching his father's tired face for some kind of answer. This wasn't what he'd been expecting at all. What was this?

"I know. Haruno would make Itachi the perfect wife too, and they'd be happier than your mother and I ever were. Partnership isn't an issue for one as intelligent as him," rasped Fugaku, running his hand down his forehead. "You faggot. You'll ruin us, won't you? I thought I had this figured out."

"You make no sense," the boy growled, clenching his fists. But something cold and sharp in the back of his mind knew that there was a way that this could make sense. It terrified him.

"It makes sense when you know the truth, but you must swear to keep quiet!" his father ordered, pointing the raven.

"I'm not promising anything," he snorted, "but if necessary I won't tell anyone." Glancing around him in case there was a servant lurking in the corners, the corporate man took another step toward his son.

"Eight years ago, your mother and I were concerned that a family disease from my side of the family had been passed on to you or your brother and we had you both tested for it. We didn't tell either of you what it was at the time, even when Itachi tested positive." Finally breaking the gaze between them, Fugaku shook his head at the ground. "He has ogliospermia, which means that he cannot have children. Only you can continue the family line, and now you tell me you're a fucking faggot."

"You never told him?" Sasuke burst out, as his pupils suddenly narrowed to slits. "You never-? My brother deserves to know about this! Why are you hiding it?"

"For his own good! It's best if he figures it out on his own, so that he can worry about it when he's old enough to cope and still get on with his work." Of course. And perhaps his brother was right about him, because the snake's urge to rip out his own father's throat was beginning to manifest inside of him. "The last thing we need is another mopey teenager like you."

"So what?" the raven hissed, his fists trembling with rage. "You're going to force me to have kids, is that it? Itachi's the family man, not me! Who cares about blood – he can adopt."

"You will continue our family line, you damn selfish boy!" the man shouted, spit flying from his mouth and eyes wide with anger. Never in his life had he had to deal with such defiance from his own son, and it couldn't come in a worse form.

"How am I selfish? I'm not the one lying to Itachi just to make sure he stays in check!" This was getting to be too much. The words kept coming back and hitting him in the chest, making him want to double over in sickening shock. In a way his father was right – the truth would be painful for Itachi. For as long as Sasuke had known his brother he'd valued family over anything, and wanted to try and father children better than Fugaku ever could. But leaving it for him to find out? When he'd perhaps be hoping to have children it would be so much worse, even if he could still show up for work and keep his father happy. This was just ridiculous. "If you had just told him he would've figured himself out."

"It's a complicated situation. You can't expect to just understand – and your mind has always been exceptionally weak." All the pleasure of infuriating his father was gone. The fury was still there, as the man began to pace back and forth, shooting him looks of disgust every so often. Shivering, the raven took a small step away. "I thought that perhaps having two sons could be advantageous, but you aren't a man, are you? You shouldn't have been born."

"If you haven't got anything else to say, _Dad_, there's a school assignment that I need to be finishing right now, and a birthday celebration that I need to be avoiding," said the snake, his voice nearly as deep as Fugaku's.

"Then get out." So he left. As resentful as he felt toward his father for lying to Itachi, he held onto the secret. There was no need for him to help his enemy. Removing his brother wasn't personal, but it was necessary. As for the tyrant, well getting rid of him was definitely a personal issue, and suddenly killing him didn't sound like such a bad idea after all. It'd serve him right for turning their family into a business and their business into a rat race.

"Where are we going, master?" the raven grumbled, after twenty minutes of sitting blindfolded in the back of a vehicle. "Is this work for you, or is it going to help me achieve my goal?"

"Your goal is my goal," came the slurred voice of the demon, as the car rolled smoothly around a bend in the road. "All work I have you do is only to help you to achieve it. However, the leader of our little organisation is counting my word that you will become powerful enough to be a valuable asset."

"In other words, in exchange for helping me become patriarch of the Uchihas, we have to become affiliated." Even though all he could see was black, he could still feel a prickle as Orochimaru smiled darkly at him.

"As a master of magic, I have wanted an apprentice for a long time. The organisation sees you as an investment, and showing them some loyalty will go a long way to help you. Emeralds are one thing, but there is a step you must take that will allow you to unlock even more power, and this ritual also happens to be the initiation into the group." There was a pause where only the sound of the car engine could be heard, when the snake's heart suddenly leapt up in his chest.

"Join the group?" Sasuke spluttered, sitting right up in his seat. "Helping them is one thing, but joining them?"

"Just being able to transform doesn't make you impervious to the law, or gunfire, or criminals like your father. I'm not just training you to use your powers and your body – I'm also showing you how to use your brain, and giving you access to the resources that you can't compromise." Biting down on his lip, he turned this over in his mind. This goal, or this destiny was bigger than he'd first anticipated. Maybe he hadn't thought it through properly, but even it was going to monopolise his time, he had to let it.

"Hn. I understand. I need to disappear for a while, don't I?" he asked, already certain of the answer. He didn't want this to affect his relationship with Naruto. Since his birthday a week ago they didn't spend much time together. Sasuke was alone at school, just left brooding and wandering. It wasn't as though he wanted to be anywhere near Naruto's friends, or his own for that matter. They had met secretly once, but that was when the raven's phone went off and Orochimaru told him that he'd planned 'a little outing'. So with a quick apology he had to leave the fox and meet the demon outskirts of the city, where he was blindfolded and driven away. As a result of being dragged away, he was in a foul mood. More to the point, he was missing the blond. Sometimes just talking on the phone wasn't enough.

"Not straight away, but yes. In order to stay safe from the law and carry out your revenge perfectly, it is best that you disappear." It wasn't what he wanted to hear, but it was a sacrifice that needed to be made if it was to free his family from Fugaku, the tyrant. With a heavy sigh, he rested his head against the window. _It won't be forever, Naruto. I can only hope that you won't hate me for what I have to do, but I don't want to be this anymore. I'm sick of being treated like a disgusting reptile by a snake like my father._ "We're here, Uchiha-san. You're welcome to remove the blindfold." Grateful to remove the rough fabric from around his eyes, the snake quickly reached around the back of his head and fumbled with the knot, before giving up and pulling it straight off his head.

"This is your headquarters?" he scoffed, as his sore eyes adjusted the sunlight suddenly pouring over his face. As the glare cleared away he spotted a rusty tin shed nestled in a grove a short walk up a hill from the road. It was covered in holes and rotting timber, and it had seared patches as though it had been on fire. "It sticks out like a sore thumb, and it's a piece of crap."

"It's one of many safe houses, and despite being somewhat unkempt and highly visible from the road, it has never been subject to any form of investigation, as it has been disguised as a hermit's house," the demon told him, giving the driver a brief nod and stepping out of the vehicle and onto the dirt road.

"Ts. A hermit's house?" muttered the raven, climbing out after him. Another factor contributing to his negative mood was the fact that since telling his father about his sexuality and learning that Itachi was infertile, they hadn't spoken at all. Not one meeting had been called, and if he saw Fugaku in the house, all he would receive would be a discontented sniff and a raised eyebrow. As the wind whipped back the pale man's hair, Sasuke slowed down. He didn't want to be hit in the face as he trudged after his master up the tiny path to the 'hermit's house'. Why couldn't the tyrant at least acknowledge the fact that the raven was rejecting his control? Things were supposed to be improving for him, and yet he felt as though he'd never had so many worries in his life.

"Pein!" the snake-like man called, as they approached the burnt out hut.

"Pain?" It was a word he was familiar with from learning English at school. He shuddered. In joining a criminal group he would probably meet all kinds of people; possibly even deranged psychopaths.

"Who is it?" a deep voice called back.

"Just Orochimaru and my new apprentice." Looking over his shoulder, the creature snarled as he saw the snake hesitate. "Don't be a weakling. If your resolve is strong then you must take this path and never look back."

"Very good," the voice came again. Sasuke swallowed deeply, before nodding to his master and continuing to the door. He already knew that as soon as he went in there was no turning back. There was little doubt – if he entered the safe house and then decided not to help them, he'd be killed. However, he had no wish to turn them down. Grabbing the loose handle on the wooden door, Orochimaru gave it a shake and pulled it open, knocking a family of spiders to the dusty earth below. At first glance, the snake couldn't see anyone inside the room. There were filthy chairs and an old kerosene stove, but that was about all. It was only as they stepped inside the dank little room that he spotted the boy standing beside a decrepit bunk bed in the corner of the room. As soon as his eyes fell on the young man he froze. This person could hardly be any older than the raven, with spiked orange hair, swirl-like eyes and a grotesque amount of piercings covering his face – all down the bridge of his nose, around his earlobes and under his lips, even having rods going straight through the tops of his ears. His face was so cold and flat, that even the terrifying Uchiha felt intimidated.

"Uchiha-san, this is Pein," the demon told him, creating a small cloud of dust as he sat down in one of the seats in the centre of the room. "He is the leader of the organisation, or at least the wing of the organisation concerned with people who can transform."

"But he's just a boy, like me. How can he be the 'leader'?" asked the raven. His feet seemed to be fixed to the floor as hard as his eyes were glued to the boy.

"I'm a lot older than I look," he replied, returning Sasuke's gaze with an equally solid stare. "He's a lot nicer looking than your current, Orochimaru."

"I'm lucky to have him." Frowning slightly at this, the snake finally moved to sit with his master. Moving from one creepy gaze to another, Sasuke found himself pinned by those amber eyes. "Pein is even more powerful than I am, just by killing. When you take another's life you take their power, and the more significant the person killed, the more fulfilling the power. You have some growing to do yet, but to reach your potential you must spill the blood of your father."

"Hn. I'd be more than happy to kill that man," the raven said with a smirk. What he wanted to learn to do first though was transform into the titanic beast he'd seen Orochimaru change into. Having that sort of ability would make him very happy.

"I have the blood of so many on my hands that the creature I can become is large enough to rip up this hillside," the strange boy stated, his empty eyes shifting to the door. "And I also control my abilities perfectly – there is nothing I can't do within my own field. I will show you." Watching in fascination, the snake leaned forward in his seat. Whatever Pein's power was, he wanted to see it. Maybe he changed into an animal he'd never seen before. For a moment nothing happened – there were no subtle changes in his shape and he didn't waver. Suddenly, Pein was gone. Only a split second of broken eye contact was long enough for the boy to shift into a muscled, misshapen creature. It snarled and frothed ferociously at the mouth, its cruel eyes bulging madly from their sockets, and it looked curled forward and bent like something between an extremely muscular human being and…

"A fox? Like Naruto," he gasped, slipping back in his chair. "And you say you can replicate this power to something the size of-"

"Of anything, as long as I don't break through the atmosphere," the beast growled. "And I can replicate any form as many times as I like. If I wanted I could completely destroy Tokyo and the rest of Japan. Not that I'd ever do something so outrageously pointless." Then in a flash, the werefox was gone and Pein was leaning against the bedpost once again. "But I have unlimited power. Not something I wanted, mind you. I'd rather just be left alone. So will you join us?"

"I…" Sasuke bit his lip. Of course he was going to say yes. He didn't want to be torn to pieces – that was probably the most rabid, insane monster he'd ever seen. But mostly, the thought of having unlimited power, and control over anything he wanted could've made him go rabid and insane himself. "Yes. I'll join you, and do anything you want. All I want in return is to be given the means to unseat Uchiha Fugaku." He couldn't tear the image of the monster from his mind, with its dripping teeth and red, bristling fur… "Pein-san, are you related the Uzumakis?" Hearing this, the redheaded boy raised an eyebrow as the demon beside him let out an irritated snort.

"Not directly, but I am loosely related to their family. Don't become confused, though. People can be completely unrelated and still have the same powers, as in you and Orochimaru." At first he nodded, but as a freezing, bony hand suddenly gripped his shoulder he whipped around. The demon was glaring at him, his thin lips twisted into a snarl and his soulless eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Curious how you should bring up that boy from your classes at school," he slurred, blowing icy breath into Sasuke's pale face.

"We are very close," the raven replied simply. But this statement didn't seem to appease the suddenly unsettled man in the slightest.

"I know all about that. But you cannot take him down this path with you, or anyone else you have emotional bonds with. Either they'll distract you from your goal or the actions that you must take will hurt them. Leave them – leave him behind." _I've never been apart from him… How do I even do that?_

"If it is necessary, I'll do it," he murmured, unable to stop his bottom lip from jutting out or his eyes fall to the floor. "I'll leave him behind and… he can catch me up later." It was unlikely that Naruto could ever accept what the snake knew he had to do. And even though the fox knew how it felt having a mother that could die any day as well as he did, the fox had no idea of how much it ached knowing that Sasuke's own father was the reason for that. Mikoto's sickness was very different to Kushima's. The blond could be with his mother until her time eventually came, but for the raven, it felt as though she was already gone. For her sake, Sasuke could give him up. He could bring her back from the clutches of death, if only he could banish her sickness – Uchiha Fugaku.

"Then it's time. We will initiate you into the organisation, and you will leave everything behind," Pein told him, standing up off from the bedpost and raising his chin. "The process is a ritual that will give you the power to transform into an enormous serpent with the strength to crush vehicles and even destroy buildings. Use that power wisely." Nodding sadly, his mind still on the depressing thoughts of leaving the fox, he stood up slowly from his seat, jumping as Orochimaru suddenly kicked it out of the way.

"Kneel," his master ordered, hitting the backs of the raven's knees. "Hurry up." It would be best if the ritual went quickly so that the snake couldn't predict what would happen. They couldn't have him backing out or panicking. Shooting a quick glare at the demon, Sasuke obeyed and sank down to the dusty floor, wondering what they were going to do to him. Perhaps he'd have to make an oath. Stepping right forward, Pein's fingers lengthened into sharp, curved claws. "Accept this power, given to you by the spirits of the dead and the blood of the living…" The snake blinked. Incantations?

"Ah-!" he gasped, as suddenly a claw slipped down the back on his shirt and ripped it to shreds, and it fell in tatters to the ground.

"There is no good and no evil, only the organisation…" Maybe it was a slightly unusual incantation. But nevertheless, it was going to give him the ability he'd been so desperate for in the first place. He heard Pein step away somewhere behind him, as Orochimaru moved forward and began to paint something dusty onto his back. In sand-like powder the demon decorated the pale skin with a serpent stemming from his lower back, before it split apart into three writhing bodies crawling up his back. On each of the heads the creature drew terrible fangs and lashing forked tongues, and as he stepped back to admire the work, Pein stepped forward once again.

"To brandish our mark is to brandish power, and to brandish either is to know pain…" he drawled, running his eyes over the snakes covering the boy's ghostly back.

"What is that?" the raven asked quickly, trying to look at the markings over his shoulder. He couldn't quite see the patterns reaching just below his neck and spilling over his shoulder blades, but he caught the glint in his master's eye as a smirk rolled across his lips. Then he saw the flint in Pein's hand.

"Gunpowder." Before he could even process what was going to happen to him, a flashing light tore up his spine, hissing loudly and sending sparks and blood splattering around the room. Suddenly he felt as though he'd been plunged into molten lead, his muscles tensing right up in agony. His blood was like an orchestra pounding in his head so loud that he couldn't even hear himself screaming, as warm fluid began to flow freely down his back.

"It burns!" he cried, as his vision began to swarm. It was like he'd been branded. He had been branded. All the flesh on his back where the gunpowder had exploded and was spattered across the room. Arms hooked under his armpits and hauled the shaking, bleeding raven to his feet.

"Quick – wash the wound," came the voice of his master, as he struggled to make himself heard over Sasuke's screams of pain. Out of nowhere, something sloshed against the snake's trembling lips. "Drink this." Still groaning into the cup as the fluid was forced into his mouth, he coughed as he was hit by its bitter taste. "You'll feel better. Swallow it down." Most of it dribbled down his chin, but the stuff he managed to drink he also managed not to puke back up, despite the convulsions of pain tearing through him.

"Hn… Ah!" he yelled, whipping around as the pain ripping through his abused nerve endings suddenly became sharper. Pein had a cloth, probably soaked in disinfectant, and was washing away the excessive amounts of blood pouring from the grotesque wounds. But as the red pouring down his back began to thin and he could see properly, he could see the three-headed snake seared and bleeding on his back. "W-what is that?" he managed, trying hard not to let the dizziness make him collapse.

"This mark will help you to channel your power. Once we bandage the wound it'll heal to a leave a scar that'll need to remain hidden from the police," he replied flatly, tossing the blood soaked flannel away.

"Hn… great." Smirking slightly, he let his weight on Orochimaru lessen as he tried to stand himself. "You have my allegiance, then. I'll leave the Academy as soon as I can." It wasn't that it didn't hurt having half his back blown apart – though the medicine was helping a little, and he could feel it numbing as the white roll of fabric began to wrap around him from his waist. It was still absolute agony. But he could feel the power of the mark flowing into his body more readily than blood was flowing out, enough that his knees didn't shake.

"For someone who just had their body mutilated, you seem quite chipper, Uchiha-san." The raven chuckled darkly, lifting his arms so that Pein had easier access to his upper back. He shot a look to his master with glistening black eyes, like pools of ink.

"Ts. I'm alright, aren't I master? And soon I'll be able to kill that bastard," he mumbled, his body still feeling to shivery and weak from blood loss to speak much louder. Every second that passed he felt a little stronger. It was the mark – he was sure of it.

"You really have the perfect mindset. If there's anything that you desire, you can achieve it," slurred the demon. _Don't be manipulative with me…_ It was pretty clear by now to the snake. His brow furrowed. As much as he enjoyed the praise, he understood that the creature probably only said it to secure his loyalty. It really was just a manipulation, and the raven wasn't buying into it anymore. He had his own reasons for helping them now. Besides, as soon as he could become strong enough to go off on his own he would. Itachi was absolutely right – but if it meant he had to be a parasite to make things right, then he'd do it. He took a deep breath as Pein finally reached his shoulders and pinned him up nice and tight. The pain was only just bearable, and it was probably going to remain only just bearable for a long time.

"This room is too small," he growled, close to hissing. His body was itching to try the transformation, and his teeth were already beginning to form into fangs.

"You want to try it out now?" Pein asked, stepping around him and taking his arm. Guiding Sasuke slowly to the door and pushing it open, they stepped out into the light afternoon breeze.

"Let me go. I'm fine," he hissed. His pupils had already narrowed to slits and his tongue was thinning in his mouth. Despite the pain, he felt fearless and invincible with this symbol brandishing him along his spine. This was going to work. Stepping over fallen branches and through the damp grass, he made his way around the small tin house with his master and the strange boy following.

"We're downhill a little here, Uchiha-san. It should be safe to transform." No sooner had the words left Orochimaru's lips did the raven freeze, before turning to them with a twisted smile, and wide, red eyes.

"I'll show you what I can do!" he cried, dropping back his leg and falling into his defensive stance. Closing his eyes, he concentrated his energy into his body. Usually, he pulled it in and he could shrink down into a tiny reptile, but this time it was different. He pushed the energy outward, expanding its field as far as he could handle. As he felt his arms disappear into his sides and his body stretch and grow cold, he smiled to himself in satisfaction. Slowly, his eyes were forced open as his eyelids receded, and to his amazement the boulder he'd been standing next to only a moment ago seemed no larger than a basketball on the ground beside him. "Yessss! Sssso much power!" he hissed, his heart pounding in his chest.

"Now do you see the power that magic allows us to harness?" called the demon, who was now small enough for the gigantic serpent to snap up in his mouth. Never in his life had he felt so alleviated – not even when he was with Naruto. He could transform into a godlike monster. His father was within his clutches. It'd all be over soon.

**There you go! Back to normalish writing speed now, as these parts are easier to write. I know this chapter skips over quite a few days but the pace is going to change for a bit.**


	13. Pain

***Slaps self* Okay no excuses here it is:**

13 – Pain

Gaara took another nervous glance at his watch, before he whipped his phone out of his pocket to see if he'd missed any texts. He'd only checked about ten times in the last two minutes. Now that he was finally getting his act together, he was impatient to get well underway. Since Sasuke's birthday they hadn't spoken at all. If they sat next to each other or passed each other by, the raven would only smirk at him with that same flash of contempt in his eyes. It was horrible for Sasuke to treat him like that, but the lizard couldn't be angry with him – only worried for him. Something definitely had to be messing with his friend's head. Crossing his arms, he tapped his fingers rapidly and leaned back in the sofa. Where were they?

"Hello, Gaara. What are you doing here?" The redhead froze as the icy voice slid over his shoulder. "Oh of course. Are you waiting for your life to get interesting?"

"What do you want, Sasuke?" he drawled, looking back down at his phone. This wasn't a great time.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be here," the snake replied, his eyes red. "Seeing as you are, I should let you know; there's nothing you can do to bring me back to the group. I don't want to anyway – none of you mean anything to me anymore." Gaara bit down on his lip, but kept his eyes fixed on his phone. He couldn't bear to see that look anymore.

"Snap out of it. Just…" His hand trembled as he clutched the cell phone tighter in his hand. "… snap out of it." When he received no reply, he still couldn't look back. Not even when he was certain that the raven was gone. Letting out a long, shuddering breath, he pushed his face into his hands. He must be the worst friend in the world. Maybe if they'd talked more this wouldn't have happened. Sasuke may as well have befriended an emotionless wall.

"If you're blaming yourself, then stop." His blue eyes flicked up to see the dark haired young man and his girlfriend standing across the coffee table. "My brother is fragile. The truth is, we don't even know what will happen or why anything is happening at all." As Itachi spoke, Sakura gave the lizard a sad smile before moving to sit with him, and the eldest son of the Uchiha family took a seat by himself. "Still, we have to figure out what we can do about it, and make sure he doesn't do anything ridiculously irrational. We've got half an hour before I need to go to work."

"He's getting into something dangerous," the redhead murmured, pinching the crease in the centre of his brow.

"Hey!" Suddenly, Shikamaru darted around the corner, his usually bored face alight with concern. "I just saw him. I just saw Sasuke. He told me he's going to leave school."

"What?" the three cried, their jaws dropping simultaneously. The brunet was shaking his head in shock, like he couldn't quite believe what he was saying himself.

"He said, 'See you around. You won't see me at school again'. Then he just walked off. It's insane!" Seemingly exhausted, he flopped over to the couch and sank down next to the redhead.

"That's it." Lips curled into a snarl, Itachi snatched his own phone and began to dial a number.

"Who are you calling, babe?" Sakura asked him, her face somewhat pale.

"Uzumaki. I stole his number off my ludicrous brother's phone." Tucking his hair behind his ear and thrusting his phone over top, he let his other hand begin to tap impatiently on his knee. Gaara wasn't the only one feeling tense about this situation. "Uzumaki? It's Sasuke's brother Itachi. Are you busy? Okay. Look – we need to talk about your brother right now. I'm at the library just off Inokashira-dori Street. Please hurry. Yes it's serious. No, he just needs your help. Thanks."

"Good thinking," said the dog, as the sable-haired boy hung up the phone. "Sasuke's made it clear he doesn't want anything to do with us anymore, but he's still going to listen to Naruto, isn't he?"

"If he doesn't, something really awful could happen," the girl said, flicking the tassels on her skirt. "I mean, he's dumping his friends, ditching his education… he's planning something. Do you remember at the beginning of the holidays, when he was going on about ambition? It was just before you set him off, Gaara." Nodding his head slowly, the lizard watched as one of the bars on his phone's battery flickered and disappeared.

"Sakura. That night at the rave when your warehouse was robbed… it happened around the same time that Sasuke suddenly left." Straight away, all eyes snapped to the redhead. Eyes wide with disbelief, the cherry blossom shook his shoulder.

"Are you trying to say that someone like Sasuke would ditch the party to go and steal emeralds and gold? It's not as though he needs more money – his father is the chairman of Uchiha Academy," she said, trying to catch her friend's eye.

"Maybe. But he left even though Naruto was with him," he mumbled, his blue eyes still refusing to leave his phone's screen.

"Gaara, we…" Shikamaru began, a feeling of discomfort bubbling up in his gut. It pained him to admit it, but even he wasn't prepared to sit by anymore. Licking his lips and pushing his thumbs into the underside of his chin, he frowned thoughtfully to the Uchiha across the table. "Even though we don't know what's going on right now, we need to find out. More importantly, we need to stop him. It doesn't matter if it means he gets hurt. This can't continue – we can't let him become a bad guy."

"You're right," the raven-haired man agreed. "He'll think what he's doing is 'justified' without caring whether or not it's right or wrong. I can't let him loose when I know what he'll be prepared to compromise." Hoping to inspire some courage, Sakura sat up straight and clenched her fists.

"Yeah! We'll save our friend from making the biggest mistake of his life! Not… that we know what that mistake is." Being able to make them smile, even if only a little, was an achievement. They had all been connected, but that bastard had to tear himself away, knowing it would leave a wound. Seeing it coming didn't make it any easier. And from the way that Gaara's lips seemed to tense every so often, it was likely that knowing only made it worse.

"I have a bad feeling about this. I can't shake it," he whispered. "What if he was the one who took the emeralds? What if he's in too deep?"

"This is my brother we're talking about," Itachi sneered. "There is no 'too deep'. I'd rather see him in prison than –"

"Prison?" the brunet burst out, his hands dropping to his sides. "What the heck do you think he'll be doing?" Eyes narrowing at the interruption, the sable-haired man fixed Shikamaru with an intense stare.

"He thinks he's better than everybody else, and that he can get away with anything. He's capable of doing very inhuman things to get what he wants. Just ask Naruto." Somewhat unsettled by the Uchiha's gaze, the dog tried to fight back with an equally hard stare.

"You're being harsh. He's not like that," he growled, but the intense gaze boring into him didn't falter.

"Yes, he is. You have no idea how much Fugaku has messed him up. He-" This time, he interrupted himself, as he caught sight of a young man with spiked blond hair and a pout on his lips plod around the bookshelf.

"If you're talking about Sasuke like that, I'll smash you in the face," snarled the fox-like boy, his whiskers curving in irritation. Sighing, Itachi waved a submissive hand.

"Don't smash anyone in the face. Just come sit down, and help us out," requested the Uchiha, pointing to the other empty seat across the table. Azure eyes cold with suspicion, Naruto snorted and moved to sit.

"Are you going to tell me to break up with him? Bribe me? Because it's not happening," he huffed, crossing his arms defiantly. Sakura snickered.

"Why did you come if you thought we were going to do that? Didn't Itachi just say he needed your help?" she asked him, eyebrow raised.

"I've been approached three times this week by total strangers, and they've all tried to bribe me to dump him. And even if I agreed I couldn't, seeing as he's always going off somewhere," he grumbled.

"Going off somewhere?" As the all sets of eyes seemed to widen, the blond blushed slightly.

"I don't know. He says it's training, or whatever." Worried glances shot around the table faster than a laser in a room of mirrors.

"He is dropping out of school, Naruto-kun," Gaara stated quickly, looking up from his phone for the first time since Sasuke decided to disappear. As the fox's frown flew away and his eyes shot open, the lizard continued. "He didn't even tell you, did he?" Slowly, Naruto closed his mouth and he seemed to swallow.

"W-what?" he breathed.

"I'm guessing he also didn't tell you that he's given up on all of his friends. It came out of the blue for me. He just decided he doesn't want anything to do with us," Sakura told him, her playful green eyes cold and serious. "He probably also didn't tell you what he's training for; what he's dropping his life for. And if we're placing bets, I'm going to say that it isn't you." For a moment, the fox glared at her, leaning forward on his knees. But as his narrowed eyes began to open out, and his mouth to fall open slightly, he quickly bit his lip and tore his gaze away.

"Are you being serious with me?" he mumbled, his eyes glued to the corner of the table. "Or are you just trying to get me out of his life?"

"Naruto-kun, he's our friend. We wouldn't try and sabotage his relationship with you," the cherry blossom sighed. Why did this guy have to be so stubborn? An argument between him and Sasuke would be impossible – neither would back down. Hopefully Naruto could be just a little more stubborn. "The reason you're here is because we're about to lose him." As she said 'we', the blond's eye twitched slightly.

"You," he stressed, shooting her another glare, "you don't know how well I know Sasuke. He wouldn't do those things, ever. I know he's sensitive, but he made a promise to me, and he's going to keep it."

"I'm afraid," Itachi pushed in, the moment the blond finished his sentence, "that he's only going to disappoint you. I understand that you and Sasuke are close, but you haven't spent time with him in years, and while you've been apart, his mind has deteriorated." Scrunching his nose and twisting his lips into a snarl, Naruto levered himself to his feet.

"No matter what you think of him, I care about Sasuke. I don't think there's anything wrong with his mind, and even if there was, you aren't going to convince me to leave him." Just as the blond was about to whip around and strut away, the sable-haired man pulled himself off the seat and walked calmly around the coffee table. The fox blinked pathetically as Itachi's shadow fell over him.

"I am not antagonising anyone. Don't forget that I watched over you both when we were small. The truth is, you're the best thing my brother ever had." Shuddering as the warm words suddenly hit his cold face, the blond stared up into the black, unyielding eyes.

"But if you're telling the truth, that means that he's… going to drop off the face of the Earth? Why would he do that?" the fox asked, struggling to stop his words from tumbling incoherently from his lips. "If he's abandoning… he must have a good reason, if he's breaking the promise." Somehow, making the last sentence didn't feel like the words were tumbling out – it felt more like each one was a needle he was needle out of his heart. His relationship with Sasuke had only just started after years of loving him and hating him. Now he hears that the raven is prepared to throw him away for whatever reason? Like hell. Bonds like theirs couldn't just be broken.

"Like I said, he's sick in the head. If he had you to talk to from the beginning, Uzumaki, this may not have happened. That kid's been living inside his own self-hatred since he lost you." For once, Naruto felt that hideous pang of guilt that had always hit Sasuke when he thought of the time he ruined his best friend's childhood. "Sasuke is confused, and we all need you to guide him back to us. I've been a useless brother to him, and I want to help him find his way. But I left it too long."

"I…" As he felt his eyes begin to waver, he shifted his gaze away from the obsidian orbs. _"Don't look at me like that, Naruto. I can't explain to you where I'm going yet, but I'm coming back, okay?"_ Sometimes the blond just wanted to snap the snake's damned phone in half. For all the things the raven had told him right before they made love, he sure didn't seem very committed. The fox hated to admit it, but even he had noticed that something was wrong. Very wrong. "I have to go."

Naruto jabbed the elevator button with a fury that made the tip of his finger quickly turn to a tomato-red. He was feeling so many emotions lately… "Shit." All this time, was Sasuke only half devoted to this… whatever it was. Whatever it was that they had between them for their entire lives. Perhaps getting worked up about this was just being selfish, though. Finally, there was a pinging sound as the lift reached the bottom floor. The woman from the third floor gave him a warm smile and a nod, before pushing her perambulator out of the elevator.

"Good morning, Naruto," she said, as the boy returned her warmth with a radiating smile.

"Good morning!" he replied enthusiastically, taking her place in the lift as she rolled the pram out into the lobby. Holding the smile until the doors clicked shut, he sighed and frowned at his reflection. No, he wasn't being selfish. If that bastard wanted to impose himself on the blond's life then he had no right to screw him over like this. Making big decisions and not telling the fox about them just didn't seem fair. "I have to call him…" He needed to find out how much of what Sakura told him was true. It'd at least be helpful to figure out why Sasuke had been acting so smug recently, and why his ego suddenly seemed to be the most important thing for twenty square kilometres. Normally he was happy just to get slightly worked up when the snake was being an asshole, but this felt out of character. Their relationship felt uncomfortable, even if Naruto really did care for the raven. Without really thinking much about it, he had already stepped out of the lift and dragged his heavy feet into the penthouse and through the hallway. No matter what would happen to either of them though, the fox was sure Sasuke would never betray him again. Whatever was wrong, the blond could fix and everything would be okay. With another heavy sigh, the pensive boy collapsed onto the squishy sofa and reached for a cushion to push in his face. "I know you're here, Sasuke," he growled, rubbing the cool fabric on his burning skin. His heart seemed to freeze over in fear as the sofa sank a little, and he heard a gentle hiss. A small wave of heat washed over the fox as the snake leaned into him, soft lips brushing his ear.

"You seem sad, dobe." Ironic. Sasuke's tired, broken voice sounded like someone about to break down in tears. Even with his lover right there, touching him for the first time since that night, Naruto couldn't move, and he couldn't pull the cushion away from his eyes.

"Nothing feels real," he muttered, his nose scrunching up, "because you don't feel real." For a moment the boy seemed to pause, releasing the edge of the fox's ear from his teeth.

"Ts." Straight away, the blond's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't listen to my brother, or any of those people I used to tag along with. They're all deluded and weak."

"See?" Naruto snapped, finally tearing away the cushion and shooting up. The look he gave the raven was almost a glare, but his eyes seemed riddled with confusion and pain. "You've been acting like a totally different person since we got together. It's bad enough that someone as smart as you is dropping out of school, but you're betraying your friends too!"

"Actually," said the snake, a slight smirk playing at his lips, "I think you'll find that betraying friends isn't something new to me. Not that I hurt you on purpose. Things are different now, though. I have an objective that means that I need to get rid of anything that's holding me back." His whole body was sick with pain, and every word from Sasuke only made it worse.

"I know you hate it when your father calls you weak, but friendship is more likely to make you happy than strength," he told the raven, staring down at him with his intensely blue eyes. "That's what your objective is, isn't it? It's not about your mother anymore." Taking a sharp intake of breath and narrowing his obsidian eyes, the snake shot a glare at the carpet to his right. "You can't lie to me about that, because I know it's not true."

"Of course it's about her," he hissed, his nose twitching. Even though he was annoyingly transparent to the blond, Naruto wasn't right about this one. "When father is out of my way I can make things better. That's what it's about-"

"No it's not," the fox interrupted. Black eyes flicked back up to his lover's tired face. "Itachi will be patriarch to the Uchihas very soon, and just as you both decided when you were little, he was going to fix everything. You have nothing to do with that problem."

"Hn…" Clenching his teeth and narrowing his eyes, Sasuke gave the blond the most venomous glare he could muster. He wasn't quite sure how to respond to this. He couldn't just admit to Naruto that his motivation was actually incredibly selfish, but the snake knew he was going to make things right with his own hand. "I want you to understand, but I know you won't. Naruto…" As the blond turned his miserable eyes away, the raven reached out with his pale hand and clasped the olive chin, forcing eye contact. The pang in his chest as he saw so much reluctance in the boy's beautiful eyes made him swallow hard. "I know the timing makes it hard, but I've found my path. And I…" How could he ever do this? If he left Naruto now, then they'd never be able to be together again. The fox would never forgive him. Not for a second time. Suddenly, the electric blue eyes seemed to widen as they traveled down the raven's chest.

"Nani, Sasuke? You're hurt!" he burst out in shock, as he spotted the bloody bandages under the loose shirt. Sensing danger, the blushing snake curled away from the caring hands.

"I-it's nothing, usuratonkachi," he stuttered angrily. "I fell yesterday and grazed my shoulder."

"Stop lying, teme." Grabbing the front of the black shirt and pulling the collar forward, the fox could easily see that the bandages went right the way down, only it was clean on the front. "What happened to you? Is someone threatening you to make you act like such a giant prick?" Lips twisted into a snarl, Sasuke cursed under his breath. This was the best top he could find to cover his bandages that he wasn't going to overheat in.

"Trying give my life meaning isn't equivalent to being a prick." Snorting, the blond leaned right into the boy so that they were nose-to-nose.

"It can be. What happened?" he repeated, moving his hands around to the snake's shoulders. Blue eyes searched the black wells, but the raven's face remained stubbornly straight. How could he reply? Even if the cost was high, Sasuke wasn't prepared to have Naruto involved in any way with the criminal lowlife of the organisation. Exhaling heavily from his nostrils, the blond's brow furrowed. "Fine. Show me where it hurts."

"It doesn't hurt," the snake lied, his black eyes narrowed with defiance. "Just forget about it." Eyebrow raised, the fox let one of his hands slip back off the snake's shoulder and slide over the top button of the black shirt. "Don't you dare…" But he still didn't do anything to stop him as Naruto began to undo it with one hand, except to shudder as the warm fingers brushed his chest.

"Even if Itachi's right, and you have lost your mind, you're still so cute," smiled the blond, moving his fingers down to the next button.

"He said that?" drawled Sasuke, fighting to break the burning eye contact with the seductive blue orbs.

"Well, you have been verbally abused since you were born, Sasuke." Finally, the raven was able to direct his glare in a new direction as the twinge of rage hit him in the chest. So even Naruto thought he was weak – weak enough to have his mind warped. At least the snake knew he was better than that. Strong fingers grasped the fox's wrist, forcing his hand still.

"Stop right there," he hissed, slowly turning back to leer at the blond. "I told you. It doesn't hurt, so just forget it."

"Show me, teme! There's something up if you're not showing me something as simple as a 'graze'," growled the fox, struggling against the clamp-like hands. Sasuke certainly seemed a lot stronger than before, and when he couldn't tear his hand away, Naruto decided he needed to take a new approach. "You stubborn…" Huffing, he reached up with his free hand and gripped the back of the raven's head. There was a gasp as the snake's lips were forced into the fox's.

"Mmph!" In a matter of seconds, the boy was panting into the rough kiss and his hands were beginning to tremble. Still, he tried to pull his head away while holding back the blond's hand, but Naruto only made the kiss rougher, forcing his tongue into the unwilling mouth. All the while the raven found himself fighting the urge to let himself be seduced, even though he knew it was only to force him to lower his guard. And it was working. Slowly, the grip he had around began to loosen until the fox was able to tear himself away. Before Sasuke even had time to think, the blond pushed off from the sofa on top of him so hard that he fell back onto the white carpet, their jaws still locked. As pain began shooting through his back, his first reflex was to try and force Naruto off him, but the fox grabbed the raven's wrists and forced his hands to his sides. "Don't you ever kiss me without my permission!" he snapped, the very moment that the blond's lips drew back.

"Get over yourself, teme," sneered the fox, pinning down the snake's arms with his knees.

"Oh right, I'll just get over myself," hissed the struggling boy, bitterly incredulous at the rough way he was being handled. But even if he wriggled as violently as he could under the younger's weight, he couldn't get out. Transforming wasn't an option either – he'd either end up getting completely crushed or he would risk giving away information that he wasn't certain whether it should remain secret or not. He had to do something. An irritated gasp burst sharply from his mouth as Naruto's hands moved to unbutton the next button on his shirt. Maybe he could shock the fox into stopping. "What are you going to do now, dobe? Are you going to rape me?"

"Rape you? Are you serious, Sasuke?" the blond said with a raised eyebrow, as his fingers slid down to the last button. "I'm really happy just to be in a relationship with you, and I'm pretty sure that raping you would kind of ruin that." Sasuke huffed and twisted his head away.

"Che…" It was a long shot anyway. Shocking someone as unusual as Naruto was near impossible anyway.

"Sorry I have to take off this dress shirt of yours, baby – it looks really handsome on you. But I won't stand for you lying to me," simpered the blond, slipping it off the boy's shoulders. Despite his teasing, the fox felt so worried when he saw those white bandages completely covering all of the raven's pale upper body, and the gentle stains of blood creeping around from his back.

"If you see what is on the other side, you won't call me 'baby' anymore." A rock seemed to land in his gut as the blue-eyed boy sent his gaze back to his lover's face. It certainly wiped the smile out of his sparkling blue pools. There was nothing revealing in the obsidian eyes – that same façade stood just as strong as ever. Unwavering lips lay in that same straight line that told nothing. But somehow, it made the blond uneasy. "Hn. I'll just show you. It doesn't really make much of a difference, I guess." Wincing a little, the snake sat up slightly and wriggled the shirt down his back. As soon as Naruto's eyes fell on the wounds he'd know what it meant, as the heir to the chief of police in Tokyo. He didn't want to imagine that look he knew would be on the fox's face.

"Okay. I'll get off you, but you have to show me. Promise?" the blond asked him, waggling a finger in front of the snake's nose.

"Ts. It doesn't matter what I say," Sasuke replied, his voice raspy. Just thinking about what he needed to do made his throat dry up like sandpaper. It felt like jumping into water. It was true that he wouldn't like this, but at least it could make him stronger – much stronger. Not in the same way that magic could give him power, but if he was going to uproot his family – destroy in order to create – then he'd need a heart of stone. As Naruto clambered off his body and watched the raven with a wary eye. Sasuke took this as an opportunity to sit up and roll his shoulder gently, a smirk on his soft lips. "So that's the answer." How do you abandon the light in your life in order to save it?

"What's the answer, teme?" the fox asked him, pouting at his liar for a boyfriend. Black eyes slowly swept up to meet his, and the smirk grew, as the snake shook the shirt further down his shoulders, stretching it across his back with his arms. The blond's brow furrowed further. "Is this supposed to turn me on?" To this, the snake merely rolled his eyes, before getting to his feet and turning to face away. Solemn eyes fixed on his own shoulder; Sasuke let the muscles in his arms go limp and the shirt to slip right off his body. As he expected, the fox said nothing. So he simply waited for the chilling silence to pass, and for the boy behind him to take that shuddering, unseen breath.

"What will you do now, fox-boy? Will you turn me in?" the snake asked him, his voice strong and unwavering. For a moment, Naruto's lips parted, but he soon closed them again when he found no words. He frowned. It wasn't very often that he was left speechless. There was always something to say. Yet he was kneeling there on the ground, staring up at Sasuke's blood soaked bandages, where the darkest blood hadn't even dried out yet making three twisting trails stretching up his back like branches extending from a single point. Of course he knew what it meant. "Well, Naruto?" The blond swallowed as if he was trying to gulp down that ever-expanding lump in his throat that was beginning to taste less like shock and more like terror.

"S-Sasuke…" It felt like it would burst. "The… mark of the Akatsuki syndicate… the cutthroats of Tokyo…" It felt staring into a wide-awake nightmare.

"Answer the question. Will you try to turn me in?" repeated the raven calmly, still not looking past his shoulder. Naruto tried to swallow again, but it felt like nails were sliding down his throat.

"Y-yeah." Something in his brain was telling the fox to get up. To get up, grab Sasuke and drag him to the police station, where at least he could get counseling. But his heart anchored him to the ground like it had been impaled there by a stake.

"Hn. Then I suppose it's time for me to leave," he sighed, finally turning to look down on the shaking blue eyes. "Don't consider me your lover anymore, Naruto. Certainly don't consider me your friend."

"What?" the fox cried, switching from kneeling into a crouch.

"I don't take it lightly, but my life is moving fast and it's been out of my control for too long now. You are the person I care about most, but you are never going to let me do what I need to do to beat down my life so it can't run from me. You'll just get in my way. That's why I can discard you." Suddenly, the snake was thrown roughly back as the blond sprang forward and shoved the man in the chest.

"Is that your answer, you fucking bastard?" spat Naruto, his eyes glowing amber. Regaining his balance, the bastard sent the fox a cruel sneer that was similar to the one he wore while reading one of his many love letters.

"My answer isn't that. My answer is this: ruthlessness," he rumbled, advancing on the blond and easily overshadowing him.

"Ruthlessness? Is that the answer to "what do I need to dump Naruto?" the fox-like boy growled back, his whiskers bristling.

"It's the answer to everything." Slowly, a grin spread across the raven's lips¸ curling back to show his white teeth. "It's how I get what I want. It's how I get the power that my father keeps dangling in front of my face, like a carrot on a string! I rip it out of his hands."

"You're insane." Suddenly, a hand flew for Naruto's face and fingers clamped tightly around his cheeks. Straight away, he sent a heavy fist for the snake's gut, but Sasuke avoided it simply by rotating his hips.

"What is insanity, Naruto?" he said in a low, smooth voice, pushing smiling lips into the fox's ones that he was forcing to pucker with his fingers. "Is it insane that I obsess over power? You obsess over ramen. I really don't see how it's any different." Anger suddenly tearing through him like an unbearable jolt of electricity, the blond tore himself away from the pale fingers. Stumbling backward, the fox turned back to the calm raven with heavy pants and sharpening fangs.

"So this _is_ about power," he said, his voice suddenly deep and hoarse like a purr or a growl. "It's not really surprising, considering the upbringing you've had. I kind of knew you'd have this blown up idea about how 'important' it is to be brave and strong and live up to your family name. But I never knew you were enough of a bastard to abandon everyone who cares about you, and to…" Biting his lips to fight back the tears that were all of a sudden stinging his eyes, Naruto took a deep breath. "…to break my heart."

"Ts. Give me a break," sneered the snake, folding his arms.

"Well!" the blond shouted, throwing up his hands. "You told me that you do anything so we could be friends. You got yourself beaten half to death and faced your worst fears for me. We had sex. We told each other that we love each other. You all but ignored me for at least a week. Now you're throwing me away like a piece of garbage, so you can chase after your deluded dream! And for what? So you can get revenge on your father? So you can get off on the fact that you can decide who lives and who dies?" Snorting, Sasuke tilted his head back cynically.

"You think my dream is deluded? The world is deluded, usuratonkachi. And as for us having sex… call it bad timing. You're far too late to be my 'salvation', or whatever you and those losers I used to call my friends may say," the raven told the boy with golden hair, his eyes filled with the answer that made his anxiety evaporate.

"You're disgusting!" the fox roared. A small hiccup escaped his lips as a tear finally slipped off his eye and slid down his cheek. "I hate you so much. You promised me that you wouldn't hurt me anymore. You liar!"

"Hate me all you want, but if I have to hurt you so that people won't treat me like a pathetic, pointless speck then I will. I will be the strongest Uchiha that has ever breathed – with or without your approval," he stated. Naruto shuddered. The way that Sasuke stood so still and so resolute scared him.

"It's not just about you hurting me. The Akatsuki is dangerous, and filled with murderers. Becoming a murderer isn't going to cure your mother's depression!" It was like anything he said, it wasn't getting through to the raven. That grin just grew on his face almost as though Sasuke enjoyed seeing the boy struggling and falling apart. Sniffing and wiping his wet cheeks on his sleeve, he glared back at the snake. "You can be the strongest Uchiha ever to breathe. You are amazing and you can do anything. But you'll be empty and cold, and no one will ever care for you, because all you really are is what people see you as. I think you're a menace."

"Uhn…" The blond's eyes widened slightly, as the snake flinched, and the smile faltered and faded, replaced by that same straight line. "I don't know what I'll have to do for the greater good, Naruto, and I may have to do terrible things. My wish may be selfish, but once I have power I can make a positive change. I'm not a menace." Finally, the weight of what he was doing had hit Sasuke in the chest. Seeing his best friend's tear streaked face and broken eyes made him want to die. Naruto was probably right. This decision he'd made would probably ruin him. Once he'd expended his power and reached his limit, then it would lose meaning to him and he'd become nothing – an empty shell. But… these things he needed to do were part of his destiny, and his very reason to live. So when he'd completed everything he could achieve, then death would be okay. This had always been his destiny, and he had no wish to run from it. Not when he could fulfill so much desire. Bending over quietly, he picked up his shirt and pulled it over his arms, covering the mark that had caused such intense grief. Naruto watched him, his eyes pleading for Sasuke to stay. But the snake swept past him, pausing for only a moment. "I have closed my eyes long ago… my goal exists in the Darkness." His entire obsession for power was a ladder to his own completion. There was nothing corrupt or delusional about it, as far as he was concerned.

"Ne, Sasuke…" The fox sighed, as his teeth gradually dulled and the door clicked shut. "Shit…"

"Sakura! Where have you been all day? I've been worried sick." With an exhausted sigh, the girl leant back on the door until it closed, before sinking to the floor.

"I was with a friend. We're trying to help another friend of ours," she mumbled, suddenly reaching into her pocket for her cell phone. Frowning slightly, the green-eyed woman rested her duster on the mantelpiece next to the gold-framed mirror.

"Who's the friend in need?" her mother asked, folding her arms.

"The chairman's son. That's Sasuke, not Itachi." With a wide yawn, she flicked her phone closed. There were no messages anyway.

"Uchiha Sasuke? He was on the news just a minute ago!" the woman gasped, clapping her hand to her forehead. Her heart throbbed suddenly in the cherry blossoms chest, and her eyes shot up to meet her mother's.

"Nani?" Shaking her head slowly, her eyes wide, the woman let her hand slip down to her chin.

"I didn't really see it, and I'd missed the name. But I knew I recognised that face," she said. Just as Sakura was about to leap to her feet and shake her mother for more, he pocket started to vibrate and beep. Straight away, she whipped it out and pulled it to her ear.

"Have you seen him?" she asked automatically, and then waited for the automatic no.

"No, but he was just reported as missing on the news. But that's not important right now. I just got a text from a number I don't know, and it told me where and when we can find him." As her mother made a questioning gesture the girl waved her away and slowly began to walk down to her room.

"Itachi. Are you sure it's not a trap?" she whispered. "Naruto seems to think he's out to get you."

"You spoke to Naruto?"

"Of course. I visit him all the time," replied Sakura, shutting her bedroom door behind her and climbing onto her bed. When there was only silence and a faint crackling on Itachi's end, the cherry blossom rolled her eyes. "Don't get all jealous. He's our best shot we have at bringing Sasuke back to his senses."

"I thought he didn't want to help us." Shrugging to herself, she twiddled some hair between her fingers.

"He doesn't. He seems to want to bring Sasuke back all by himself. But he does give me some helpful information. Do you know what I found out today?"

"What?"

"You said you thought he was being manipulated in some way you weren't aware of yet – well I think it might have something to do with the fact that he joined the Akatsuki syndicate," she told him bluntly, with only a ghost of her usual smile on her pink lips.

"Wait… the Akatsuki?" the eldest Uchiha cried, deafening Sakura. "Those creeps! What could they want with a snot-nosed aristocrat like Sasuke?"

"I don't know – maybe the fact that he can change into a snake and steal things – like precious emeralds and gold artefacts for instance. Gaara's pretty clever to realise that, isn't he?" she pointed out, as her brows began to knit together.

"Hn. Shit… I thought something like this would happen."

"I know. I remember you said he's capable of doing terrible things…" Despite the fact that she wasn't even from Tokyo, the girl had heard of the Akatsuki, and terrible stories associated with them. They never seemed to be in the media somehow, but everyone knew that they killed, stole and kidnapped around the clock.

"It probably is a trap, Sakura, and I understand if you want to let it slide."

"Sweetie," the cherry blossom muttered, hearing the slight hitch in the man's voice. "You're going to go with or without me. I know how determined you are to stop him. He's your brother."

"Sakura…"

"But he's also my friend, and there's no way that I'm going to let you shoulder this on your own. I'm sure that Shikamaru and Gaara feel the same way. So we'll face Sasuke together, okay? Bring him back no matter the cost."

"Hn. Even if we have to hurt him we need to stop him, while we still can." Nodding though there was no one to see her, Sakura found herself smiling again at the sense of unity. "At two in the morning on Tuesday he'll be at a truck stop on the outskirts of Saitama, apparently."

"Um… why?" the girl asked him in a cynical tone.

"It makes more sense now – he's going to rob a convoy of armored trucks. So we'll be there, and we'll end this before it gets to be too much. So meet there at midnight. Got it?"

"Just one thing," she said, as her mind fell on something they hadn't thought of yet.

"Hn?"

"Do we invite Naruto to the party?"

A strand of dark hair like licorice flapped limply between pale fingers, watched by tired, hooded eyes. Sasuke flipped it back and forth carelessly, while his other hand rapped on the table beside him. As there was a soft noise and a small scraping sound, his hands relaxed and he sighed.

"As venom enters the bloodstream it first affects the brain – quickly driving the victim insane," he drawled, brushing over his top lip with the tip of his hair strand. "Then pretty much all those freak show things start happening as you lose control of your body. You'll be begging for death, by the time your organs have shut down – but not before you go through almost an hour of writhing in agony." A smirk crept across his shadowed face as the whimpers turned to minute gasps. "If you prefer, I can make you slowly asphyxiate, or I could tear you in half. But they aren't much fun either. So I suggest you cooperate. When those trucks arrive, I'll rip them open and take everything inside. And you will stay away from that phone." His eyes shot darkly over to the girl slumped against the wall. Her eyes were wide with terror, with her jaw hanging open in silent gasps, and her hand was clapped around a bleeding wound on her arm. "What?" he sneered. "You're doing fine – I won't kill you if you stay nice and obedient. There's no need to look so petrified."

"Wh… what are you?" she whispered, her chest heaving. Another heavy sigh escaping him as the raven let his hair fall back to his cheek and cast his eyes across the isles on the other side of the counter.

"Tired and hungry. Spending all week meeting the bigwigs of the organisation and trying to figure out what the chain of command is has been… confusing. If the leader of the entire organisation tells you to do something, but your own master doesn't want you to take orders from anyone else, what do you do?" he asked her, pulling his legs off the counter and getting up. Flinching as the tall, dark-haired demon advanced on her, she let out a tiny, relieved sigh as he walked right past her to look for snacks in the aisles. "But I'd rather have the leader on my side than…" He snorted and picked up a bag of prawn sticks. It wouldn't be prudent to use any specific names; otherwise he may have to dirty his hands with her blood. As the days piled up he came more to terms with idea of killing, but the thought wasn't glamorous. He didn't even have it in him to kill an innocent girl. Of course, having scared her half to death by coming into the truck stop as a giant serpent and slamming her against the wall, he felt fairly comfortable that he wouldn't have to. "Do you have anything better than this junk food? Obento, maybe?" The girl nodded shakily, and pointed to a cabinet near the counter that was smashed, where rice and meat was spilled all across the floor.

"Obento is there, sir!" she squeaked, hoping that the food being all over the ground wouldn't cause the boy to unleash his hungry anger at her.

"Che. Junk food it is," he grumbled, picking the prawn sticks back up and tearing open the packet.

"You always were a picky eater..." Dark eyes flew up faster than a bullet from a gun. "…my troubled brother." Sasuke winced as he stared across the brightly lit room at his older brother, who was standing in the doorway.

"Nii-san?" he muttered, nibbling at the corner of one of the starchy snacks. "You really are well informed, aren't you?"

"Shut up," the man snarled. "You are coming back home today even if it's in a body bag!" Sighing, the snake closed his eyes as his brow automatically furrowed.

"Ts. I'd say the same for you if you don't leave me the hell alone, but I doubt that we'd be able to find all the pieces." Suddenly, a weight came out of nowhere and slammed across the young raven's back. With a startled hiss as he was thrown heavily into the shelves, he tried to whip around despite the gash across his cheek.

"Sorry, Sasuke." The boy bared his teeth as his eyes meet Sakura's green orbs. A warm trickle of blood ran down his chin line and dripped onto the hand that was gripping his shoulder. As the shock and anger cleared, Sasuke grinned darkly at her.

"Well done, Itachi. Because you were stupid enough to show up, I'm going to kill your girlfriend," he slurred, his eyes fixed on the girl's. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Wasn't she the one holding a knife to his side? As her eyes moved down from his, she felt a prickling feeling in her right arm.

"I-Itachi!" she gasped, as her eyes fell on the jet black scales wrapping around her arm, forcing it away from his waist. Smirking maliciously, the snake dragged her hand up to her throat, so that the point of the kunai touched her at the point between her neck and chin.

"Sasuke!" Itachi roared, his heart pounding as he saw the cherry blossom's beautiful eyes fill with horror. "Don't do this!" As the blade reached her throat, something inside him kicked him into overdrive as he began to sprint toward them, but Sasuke stopped him simply by shaking her shoulder to emphasise that he was in control.

"Never come looking for me again, Itachi. Next time I will kill her," he said, gently retracting the serpents from her arm. "Ts. I can't believe you had the audacity to turn a kunai on me, Sakura," he drawled, raking her with his eyes. "Actually, I didn't realise you were so tough. It's not enough, though." The girl slipped shakily out of the grasp of the snake as it disappeared back into the boy's body, sending a look of concern to her distraught boyfriend.

"Babe, I don't think he gets it," she called, turning back to frown at the young snake. Snorting, the raven rolled his eyes as they slowly began to shift from obsidian to a deep red.

"Hn. You still want to start something? Do you have a death wish?" At this, Sakura sneered back at him.

"A death wish," she snarled incredulously. "We don't care if you can swallow a building. We just want you back to normal!"

"I hated who I was. You're suggesting that I go back to being the tyrant's faggot son? I don't care what you think of what I'm doing, because I've got a life now," he told her, with a surprisingly level voice.

"No, you don't. You're lost and confused. Do you even know why you're here?" challenged Itachi, glaring at his brother.

"Ts. Well obviously I'm about to break some associates out of jail," replied the raven. Why couldn't they just leave?

"But why? So that you can do something essentially pointless, like become patriarch of the Uchihas?" he pressed, trying to back the snake into a corner. Judging by the shadows falling over Sasuke's eyes and the prolonged silence, perhaps he'd even succeeded. "Well?"

"Enough talking. You leave, or we fight," he hissed, having taken a deep breath.

"Is that a threat?" came a sudden voice from over his shoulder.

"Shikamaru?" he gasped, stumbling back into an object behind him.

"And me," the object stated, grappling his arm around the fool's throat.

"No!" came yet another voice, but this time it struck all of them with surprise as their eyes shot over to the shaken girl curled up in the corner. "Don't fight him! He's a monster!"

"Sakura!" the lizard snapped, turning sharply to the girl. "Go help that girl."

"Just because I have a vagina," she sighed exasperatedly, before jogging off to talk to the shop keeper.

"Let me go!" roared Sasuke, as Shikamaru and Itachi both moved to help Gaara restrain him. "I don't want to kill my friends!"

"We're your friends now? Great," snorted the brunet, tightening his grip around the boy's arms. Straining against the others, the raven felt his heart beginning to fill with dread. Somehow those words had managed to escape his firm grasp, and somehow, he didn't feel as confident as he had been. He thought he'd let them go, but here he was showing them mercy, while they were mercilessly trying to tear him away from his new path. Just as he was about to release another burst of energy to loosen himself from their grips, something flashed in the corner of his eye. His eyes widened, trying to track the flash of orange fur, but it was darting too quickly across the shelves.

"N-Naruto?" he breathed, feeling the strength in his body quickly disappearing. "Is this your plan to bring me back? That usuratonkachi?" he growled, despite feeling profoundly affected by this sudden appearance. As the fox skidded to a halt by the raven's feet, growling furiously at him, its body quickly stretched back out into a human form.

"Don't call me that, teme," the blond thundered, reaching out and roughly squeezing the boy's pale cheeks. "They need me because I'm the only one who knows how to beat you to a pulp, and you need me because you're totally insane."

"That's enough!" Sasuke roared. He hated this insecurity. He hated not knowing if his emotions would let him do what was necessary. If he could take all of them out now, he could prove his strength to himself. "If you want to fight me, then that's fine! I'll destroy you! Hn!" Gritting his teeth, he lashed out at the fox with his legs, but of course the attack was easily dodged with a sidestep. Quick as a flash, he let his neck stretch out and his teeth elongate out into huge fangs that were at least thirty centimetres long.

"Sasuke?" the fox gasped, his eyes widening as the huge serpentine head attached to the raven's body lunged forward. Just in time, the blond dropped to the floor and the piercing fangs missed him.

"Nii-chan! Stop it! You'll kill someone!" Sasuke turned his scaled, black head and glared at his brother through unblinking eyes.

"Tsssss… You can't exssspect me to jusssst sssstand here and let you take me away," it slurred, tongue flicking in and out of its lips. "Sssso maybe if I give you enough of a beating you'll realissse that you don't ssstand a chancsse againssst me… and you'll leave me alone."

"You're the one who'll get a beating!" growled Naruto, still flat on the floor. "Snap out of it already!"

"That's right, Naruto," Shikamaru agreed. "Sasuke. We aren't letting you do this, full-stop. Just you try and give us a beating."

"Hn. Whatever you ssssay, Shikamaru…" Feeling an extra surge of force under his arms, the brunet tried to wrap his arms tighter around the boy's limbs, but they seemed to get slippery and smooth.

"Guys – get back now!" Itachi cried, grabbing Gaara and pulling him away from the growing mass of black scales. The dog followed suit, releasing the now limbless body and stumbling away.

"It'sss time for me to deal with you." Naruto felt like the snake was wrapped around his heart and squeezing, and like his own blood was turning icy cold as he watched the boy turn into a towering, shuddering beast. Fangs the size of samurai swords dripped with acidic poison, creating spitting wells in the linoleum floor. As the tail began to lengthen like a giant, heavy mass of rope, the shelves were ripped off their bolts and crushed beneath oily black scales. "A dog, a lizzzard, a moussse, a foxsss and a sssnake. Even jussst five humansss. None of you stand a chancsse!" Barely having time to blink, the blond had to leap back as the heavy tail swung back to smash the shelf next to him. Wood splintered and bags of snacks exploded all over the floor, and the fox was caught by the end of the tail and knocked onto his front.

"Run!" he managed to gasp, as the unbelievable weight slammed the air out of his chest.

"No!" Itachi roared back. Reaching down he snatched up a huge splinter of wood and threw himself onto the exposed flesh, thrusting the weapon into the shining scales.

"Tsss!" The beast whipped around and tugged its body away in surprise, hauling the young man with him. "You put in ssso much energy and you can barely sssscratch me," it snorted, trying to flick the stubborn Uchiha off his back. "You should jussst do asss Naruto sssaysss and run for it."

"Not a chance," his brother told him through clenched teeth. Smooth lips pulled into a smirk, and Sasuke opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly something hit his cheek, making him flinch. Rearing back, he tried to see what had hit him, but something hard landed in his eye.

"Tssssss!" he hissed again, unable to blink away the discomfort.

"Want more?" Shikamaru yelled, snatching up a heavy tin can. Gaara had already hurled another, and this time it collided painfully with the snake's jaw.

"Ha?" Suddenly, the monster chose to lunge forward, but as the boys dived over into the neighbouring aisle, Sasuke only continued straight toward the front of the shop, smashing back through the remainder of the glass. "Thisss hasss been fun, but I have a job to do."

"Oh no you don't!" Frustration reaching critical, Itachi started to ram his splinter into the softening scales.

"Yeah! Come back here!" Naruto roared, sinking down into a nimbler form ready to outrun the snake.

"Don't chase him, guys! He wasn't bluffing!" Sakura cried after them, but as the two canines and the lizard darted out the door they didn't even turn back. She had sort of hoped they wouldn't hear her, for Sasuke's sake. "Are you hurt?" Without waiting for an answer, the cherry blossom lifted the other girl's arm and inspected the wound.

"Get off my back," hissed the beast, wriggling his body as he slithered across the car park, hoping to dislodge the irritation. However, it clung on stubbornly and continued to stab at him. He'd just have to ignore it.

"Stop, Sasuke!" came a yell from Gaara. "Stay away from those trucks!" Lights across the car park flashed and as they bounced off the oily scales, there was the sound of screeching brakes.

"Shit!" Before he could reach them, even though his body moved so well on the slightly grippy terrain, the trucks had spotted him and were making their escape. Perhaps he should've waited until they were closer. "Thisss issss your fault!" he snarled, gong shaped eyes glaring down at his brother as the trucks took off back down the road. "You were ssslowing me down."

"Sasukeeee!" Dangerous red orbs flicking up, he only saw a flash of red fur, before a sharp pain raked his cheek.

"Tsssss…" Shaking his enormous head, the snake felt his heart start to accelerate. Shikamaru was darting around him, trying to find a point of weakness without getting catapulted by the flicking black tail. Gaara was clearly thinking hard, gritting his teeth up at his friend. So it must have been Naruto that leapt eight metres? He shook his head again. That made no sense.

"Behind you, teme!" Whipping around, Sasuke bared his fangs viciously.

"What the hell isss thisss?" he gasped, as he finally spotted the fox. It looked like – no… it looked exactly the same as the beast that Pein had managed transform into.

"Yeah, well I've been doing some training of my own, while you were off in Australia," the bristly creature growled, his whiskers shivering in the soft light of the moon. In that light he almost looked like a werewolf, except for the strong orange fur and white muzzle. But the burning, feral amber eyes definitely looked the part.

"Hn." This was certainly inconvenient. They weren't supposed to be able to fight back. "If it'sss a fight of agility, you can beat me while you hold that form. Thisss body isss heavy and ssslow. But I can handle anything you throw at me, and cripple you with a sssingle blow. It'sss only a matter of time before sssomeone diesss tonight." That was enough justification for himself not to worry about this development. Only that, to his annoyance, he felt a pang of disappointment that Naruto hadn't told him.

"Is that your drawn out way of saying 'bring it on'?" the fox smirked, visible shivers of silver running down its fur. As the snake leaned in menacingly, Naruto tensed his body to give himself some extra spring. "Let's go then." Straight away, Sasuke lashed forward and snapped his fangs, but all he caught was air rushing to catch the creature up as it shot off to the side. Reacting quickly, the snake flicked his body around toward his head to catch the bullet, but it jumped the huge pillar of flesh like a skipping rope. He'd go for the next target instead. In the corner of his dishy eyes, he glimpsed another flash, only this time it was smaller and slower. A lot slower, and a lot smaller. It was slinking around him like it was trying not to be noticed. Not wanting this to be overkill, the snake retracted his teeth and threw his hefty body toward the lizard.

"Gaara!" Just as he was about to snap the reptile up into his mouth and throw it back into Tokyo city, his eyes locked with the lizard's. His heart froze. Yet, even as he felt the weight of what he was doing slam into his chest like the fox throwing itself onto his back, his body continued to move, and the gentle brown creature was caught in his mouth. "Gaara!" the cry came again, as the huge snake tossed the limp body in the air, and hit it like a tennis ball across the car park. "No!" Shikamaru transformed faster than even Pain could've done, and dashed, howling in agony after his hurtling friend.

"Hn… Hrrrgh!" the monster screamed, cold waves running through his already freezing blood. He was panicking. A sudden jolt of energy shot through his writhing body, just enough to finally dislodge his brother and Naruto.

"Damn!" groaned Itachi, as slid down the serpent's side, struggling for grip. The splinter clattered uselessly to the ground. Suddenly, something furry swept him up by the waist, and he was pulled very quickly back across the park toward the tree line.

"What just happened?" the fox growled, placing the disgruntled Uchiha back on his feet.

"I was completely useless against him," he blinked, staring down at his bloodstained hands. They were all torn up just from holding on. "I thought he… I don't know what I thought, but I didn't think for a second he was capable of that."

"It's not a big deal," Naruto replied, before darting back out of the trees toward the shuddering monster. At first, Sasuke seemed docile and tired, as he just stared emptily down at the ground. It was clear to the fox that he was in some kind of shock, but as he got closer, the monster perked up, with its tongue flicking fast through the air.

"Naruto…" it slurred, though the burning eyes refused to look down at the snarling fox-like creature. "None of you are ssstrong enough to defeat me yet, but I am not ssstrong enough to harm any of you yet either. Ssso for now, let'sss call thisss a ssstalemate." Rage so hot began to burn in his chest that Naruto could've well burst into flames.

"Don't give me that crap!" he barked, lips curling back. Readying himself to leap again, he felt his narrow jaw actually hit the floor, as the black serpent's body began to swarm and crumble. His ears shot back in pain as the air became thick with hissing and sliding bodies, and Sasuke's entire body disentigrated away. Something brushed against his foot, and he leapt back. "What the-?" he gasped, as hundreds of black snakes began to slither hastily toward the dark path leading around the convenience store. "Sasuke! Come back, you bastard! We're not done here!" It only took a few seconds for the swarm to pass, before they disappeared into the shadows.

"Help!" Sharp eyes flicking to in-between the empty trucks, Naruto's eyes fell on a crouching figure. Itachi was already running over, his eyes wide with shock and anger.

"Itachi! What's wrong? What's happened?" came Sakura's worried cry from the shop door.

"I think Gaara's hurt!" the fox growled back, speedily making his way to her. "He'll need your help."

"I knew I should've been here," she gasped, worried green eyes flashing.

"There was nothing you could've done. Even I had almost no effect when I attacked him." Still, the cherry blossom didn't look in the least bit reassured as she clambered onto his back and they bounded across to help the injured boy.

"Sakura!" Shikamaru practically yelled, his eyes wide with hysteria and his pale face flecked with blood. "You need to look after him while Naruto gets him to hospital. You can run faster than a car, right Naruto?" Gulping, the fox tried not to look down at the bloody, broken body slumped on the ground by the dented truck and nodded at Gaara's terrified friend.

"Okay," Sakura said quickly, falling to her knees and quickly scanning the boy's body with her eyes. "There are definitely breakages here, and a compound fracture. I think his head is okay, though. He seems to have landed on his lower back, because his head looks fine. But… his back is busted. I'm no doctor but, I can see that straight away." Heart pounding, amber eyes shot down to the cherry blossom.

"We can't move him if that means…" He hesitated as he saw the twisted, grotesque angle of the redhead's body. "…If that means that his back's injured."

"I know," the girl replied, her voice breaking. "But if we call an ambulance, then how on Earth do we explain this?" In the moonlight, the Uchiha's face seemed almost like a glowing white sheet as he stared miserably down at Gaara.

"If we can't move him safely, we won't try. I'm calling an ambulance," he grumbled, reaching into his pocket and pushing his hair behind his ear, leaving a trail of blood across his cheek. Sakura frowned defiantly up at her boyfriend, throwing her arms up at the carnage

"But Itachi-" she began, but he stopped her.

"But nothing! I know how to deal with questions, but I don't know how to deal with being told that Gaara could've survived if only he'd had proper medical attention," he snapped, stabbing in the number and thrusting his phone against his ear.

"Damn… damn you Sasuke," rasped the brunet, clutching his stomach and bending over his friend in sheer grief.

"It's not his fault, Nara," the fox told him, slowly letting his body shrink back down into human form. "Underneath, Sasuke is even more damaged than Gaara." Snorting, Shikamaru looked back up at Naruto through narrow eyes.

"I always thought you were an idiot, Uzumaki. But now… I'm glad we have you around. You're better with words than Gaara or I ever were," he muttered. "You don't have to tell me that it wasn't his fault. If we could've been real friends to him then this would never have happened." Shaking his head dismissively at this comment, the blond cast his now shining blue eyes up at the full moon. Never in his life had he experienced such a terrible, nor such a beautiful night.

**If you enjoyed it please support my writing and click the review button T_T**

**I haven't even edited it yet! T_T ain't I a stinker? I have loads of reasons for taking ages but I can't be effed stating them. All I can say is that I am SOOO glad to be doing some proper writing again :D I took a reluctant break...**


	14. Convulsions

**You'd think I'd run out of symptoms... Haha it might begin sounding a little obscure or weird by the last few chapters, like Itchiness or something... ^^ Maybe as a joke. A really lame joke. My instincts are telling me no, but the idiot part of me says do it you won't.**

**Anywaaaaaaaaaay... I've been asked to update. Multiple times. I still update faster than pretty much all the other writers hahahano. Meh who cares. Just review and give me motivation to update and I'll be waaay more likely to wrap this story up at phenomonal speed.**

14 – Convulsions

"Two days. Sa…his…Gaara's…pitalised…days." Gaara's finger twitched slightly. The familiar voice seemed far away. If his eyelids didn't feel so glued shut, and if his head weren't such a jumbled mess he would've recognised the voice immediately. It was so familiar. "What…aying? Are you…ing we lost Sasuke?" That's right. He'd stupidly decided to transform to avoid Sasuke's thermal sensors, but walked right in full view. Then Sasuke had mercilessly swatted him across the car park. Trying to tune in to the conversation a little more deeply, he found that slowly his mind was beginning to clear. His eyelids were still heavy, but…

"Neji," he croaked. "What are you… what are you doing here?" A small gasp came at the sound of the lizard's voice, but there was no immediate reply. "So you say they couldn't stop him?"

"I'll call you back – he's awake." Suddenly, the boy's voice seemed a little lower, and a little colder. "Yes, he got away. Are you feeling okay?" Slightly taken aback by the chilly greeting, Gaara peeled back his eyelid slowly and painfully, and frowned up at the hazy figure by his bed. Judging by the clean, white room, and the too tight bedding, he was in hospital.

"Fine. You seem upset," he muttered drowsily, trying to focus on the brunet's pale face.

"I'm not. You're safe, and the doctors say you'll make a full recovery, despite having a broken back and a shattered arm. By the sounds of it, it could have been worse." Even though Neji was speaking gently, he seemed to stress his words a little too much. All of a sudden, the lizard felt like closing his eyes again. It felt uncomfortable in his chest when the boy with strange eyes spoke sometimes. "Though I must say, it is pretty frustrating that you didn't bother to tell me about, I don't know… anything. Not about the fact that you can transform into an animal, or that your best friend is turning into a criminal. Did it just slip your mind?"

"It's dangerous to talk to people about our abilities," Gaara told him, eyeing the brunet harshly. "Sasuke is my problem, and not yours. It's…" Inhaling deeply, he threw a shaky glare in the other direction. "…it's my fault this has happened. I let him become… a monster… shit…" As soon as he felt the warm hand on his shoulder, he felt his eyes welling with tears. He hated it when guys his age or older cried his whole life. "Sasuke…" It didn't help that he could feel the morphine wearing out, and his back and right arm were beginning to feel like they were made of molten rock.

"Gaara. When Sasuke is apparently capable of beating you up like this and even killing you, then he is my problem," the redhead was told calmly. "I know you don't feel the same way as I do, but that's not going to stop me from trying to help, here. If there's something I can do you should-"

"There's nothing you can do!" the lizard spat. He moved to tear away Neji's hand, but a ripping pain tore up his arm. "Hrgh…" With a soft sigh, Hyuga took his hand away by himself and waited for the rant he knew was to come. "There's nothing left of him to save. It's too late – way too damn late. We could all see the signs, but I ignored them. I let this happen to him!"

"Gaara," huffed the brunet, folding his arms. The lizard's black-framed eyes were open wide and tears were slowly streaming down his flushed cheeks.

"Neji, this is the truth. I'm a pathetic friend. In my place, someone kind and open like you would've saved him a long time ago." White eyes narrowed sadly, Neji found himself blushing at Gaara's kind words. "It's over. I can't get him back and I don't deserve him back either."

"Do you… have feelings for him?" he muttered, his mind wandering back to the time where it was strange to see Gaara without Sasuke and Shikamaru beside him. It made him burn to think about that.

"He's my best friend, not my boyfriend. I don't think of Sasuke like that at all," snorted the redhead, wiping his cheek with his good arm. "I hate repeating myself. Love is something I'd rather avoid." Exhaling sharply, Neji fixed the lizard with a hard gaze.

"Yeah, I know. That's probably why you lost him in the first place," the brunet grumbled back, turning away.

"What does that mean?" He just shook his head and ignored the lizard. "Neji, answer m-" the redhead tried to continue, but he fell silent as yelling suddenly filled the hallway outside the door.

"We aren't going to start a party with him! Let us in!" came Uzumaki's gruff voice.

"I'm sorry sir, but it wouldn't be prudent for that tired boy to have so many guests at once. If he's only just woken up he doesn't need to be bombarded." Gaara and Neji exchanged exasperated glances.

"Look, lady," came the bored drawl of Shikamaru. "We've had to wait two days for him to wake up. He's probably desperate to see us, too."

"Well do what you want, but I recommend that you visit him one at a time." That was all they needed. The door swung open and stomping into the whitewash room came a stampede of familiar faces – Naruto, Temari, Sakura, Itachi and Shikamaru trailing in behind.

"Oh. Gaara," the dog said, his face falling at the sight of his clearly miserable friend. "You look like shit." Gaara flipped his head away with a sniff.

"We failed him." This was all Shikamaru had to hear to gauge exactly how the redhead was feeling. Just as he moved to argue with his quitter of a friend, Temari stepped in.

"So that's it, is it? One pissy, poorly organised effort to bring him back and you give up?" she snapped, scrunching up her nose at her miserable younger brother. "That's just pathetic. If you say he's a good guy at heart then we can get him back, okay? And Sasuke has lots of friends – including me and Neji here that you haven't asked who can help you."

"Well exactly," added the Uchiha, flicking a hand. "And what about Kakashi? We should get his help, seeing as he's a judo expert and he's able to change into a wolf." Frowning cynically at Itachi and his sister, his blue eyes narrowed.

"Who's talking?" he sighed, gesturing at the young man who hadn't thought to talk to the wiry haired teacher either. "It's possible to bring him back, but I don't want anything to do with it. If he ever does come to his senses I'll stay away from him." Straight away, Shikamaru's eyes shot open like he'd been electrocuted.

"Are you kidding me?" he all but shouted. His arms shook, like he was fighting his urge to shake the boy as hard as he could. "Sasuke would be… The real Sasuke would be gutted to think you'd turn your back on him."

"I only make things more difficult for him." By the look of anguish smacked across the horrified brunet's face, Gaara had really stepped on a landmine this time. No one else in the room looked too impressed either. After a prolonged, deafening silence, Neji finally burst it with an incredulous snort.

"So do nothing, Gaara. That'll really renew you for all your prior fuckups." Blue eyes narrowed dangerously, but the pale boy seemed just as stern. "Well we're still going to do everything we can to get him back – and we don't need your permission either. Uchiha still has to save his little brother – not to mention his family's credibility, and as for me? Well I can't let him hurt anymore friends, can I?" That said, the young man got to his feet, his glaring white eyes still pinning the crippled boy to the bed. "Come on, folks. We'll just move to the other end of the room to use our time to build a strategy. It seems the stone-hearted Gaara has given up." With an unanimous sense of heaviness in their chests, the others gave their individual looks of disappointment at the lizard before moving themselves to the vacant bed across the room. Even as the redhead looked to the dog for some form of support, he received the full brunt of those hard, uninterested eyes. Shikamaru felt only a twinge of sadness, but a cold, swamping wave of contempt at his friend's pathetic behaviour.

"You're not worthy of pity, Gaara. Giving up on Sasuke is cruel – and this is a quitter talking," he drawled, his gaze shifting sleepily away from his friend. Sitting down slowly on the soft bed with Sakura, Naruto felt his heart throb with sick, dismal pain. People like them – Gaara and Shikamaru and Sasuke – always seemed to him to be unbreakable. They just seemed to fit together without having to try. Like, perfect friends, and personally, he'd had a gut's full of friends fighting.

"I can't sit through this," he growled, apologetic blue eyes flicking from face to face. "I'm not really smart like you guys, so if you're doing complicated plans and stuff there's not much I can do. I'm going to find Kakashi and see what we can get out of him. And, when you need someone to be punched in the face, give me a call." In better honesty, he couldn't bear sitting in the room with Gaara like this. Clearly the others hadn't picked up on the fact that when Sasuke ruined Naruto's life, the raven quickly admitted defeat and it took him years to regain the will to fight. In both circumstances people would've put this down to courage, but Gaara didn't seem to be a coward to the fox. Loyalty and guilt was a mix that could lead to withdrawal. The blond had no wish to be part of 'shunning the coward'. Not anymore.

"But Naruto," Itachi interjected, using the fox's given name for the first time. "What if we need information regarding Sasuke that only you know?"

"Like what? I've barely seen him since we became friends again. We haven't properly got to re-know each other yet." When the Uchiha could give no reply more than an exasperated shrug, Naruto took his cue and gave a quick wave. "So start planning, okay? Make it good – and I'll talk to you later."

Sometimes when there is a need for something or someone, it seems to realise this and then go to great lengths to stay out of the way of whoever happens to be in need, only to pop up right when they finally lose interest. After wasting an hour – yes an entire hour – trying to get a straight answer out of the after-hours school receptionist that Thursday afternoon, Naruto was finally informed that Kakashi was actually out on a date and not at school marking piles of junior students' homework as per usual. As much as the fox struggled to believe this, he had to admit defeat and head home. It still pissed him off that he had to keep saying 'yes I know that he isn't my teacher, but if you went into the extra-curricular directory-' and then get interrupted to hear her rant about the lack of organisation of the staff directories how she wanted to start an entrepreneurial business that helped schools organise all their data. So in the hopes that he could spend some time with the wolf during Judo training the following afternoon, the blond set out to be used as his uke in Sasuke's absence, but for some reason Kakashi never seemed to pick up on the worried glint in those blue eyes and instead picked out Sasori.

"What's up with you, Naruto," sighed Tobi, pairing himself up with the wilted blond. "For the last couple of weeks you've barely said anything."

"Hmph," Naruto shrugged, stretching his arms by reaching as far down his back as possible. "I guess I just don't have much to say."

"Don't give me that," the strangely perceptive boy said, helping the fox push his arm down even further. "When do you ever not have much to say? Look. If it's because Sasuke's let you down I promise I won't laugh. I'm sure even Deidara will be supportive – I mean, we are your friends after all. Your real friends."

"Shut up!" Naruto suddenly yelled, his eyes flashing amber. As the fox's arms shot around like springs, the black-haired boy stumbled away with a gasp. "This has nothing to do with you guys, so stay out of it. Besides, Sasuke's the one in trouble here, not me." Stepping back, Tobi's eyebrows began to knit together as the blond snarled aggressively.

"I just wanted to help, Naruto. Anyway, are we going to spar or what?" Still pouting, the fox shrugged and put his arm back over his shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry for shouting at you." Sometimes, these things that might be subconsciously avoiding the one in need may suddenly click, or have some kind of revelation that makes them burst out of the blue and catch that person completely off guard. As the training session came to a close, Naruto made a move to finally nab Kakashi's attention, absolutely determined not to let the wolf slip from his grasp yet again.

"Sensei! I just need to talk to you really quickly," the fox said, pushing past the smaller students that were trying to talk to him.

"Well I better go. I've got a date, y'know," laughed the wiry haired teacher, completely ignoring the pining blond. Naruto stared in amazement as the man began to jog away from the group. This was getting to be ridiculous. By the time he began to slowly change back into his normal clothes, his mood had deteriorated even more. This was serious – Sasuke was the most important thing to him, and he was losing him. Yet while the raven's clever little friends were all laying out their complicated, confusing plans to help him, getting training from Kakashi again was the only thing that Naruto could think of. Now he just felt useless. He should've chased after that troublesome teacher and forced a conversation. Slinging his bag heavily over his shoulder, he began to plod to the corridor, too tired to wait for Sasori or Tobi.

"Hey. Where are you going, buddy?" the dark eyed boy called after, as the redhead raised an eyebrow.

"I don't know. See you later, I guess," he half yelled, half drawled. Things couldn't get much worse. Every time he thought about those beautiful black eyes he felt his chest fill with freezing, jagged stones. And when he then thought about those disgusting, blood soaked bandages; those rocks were doused in petrol and set alight as he thought furiously about tearing whoever did this to the snake in half. With this delightful thought high in his mind, the blond hopped down the steps and made his way to the school gate.

"Hey, Naruto." As the familiar voice reached his ears, the fox practically jumped out of skin. This was immediately followed by a wash of relief, excitement and ironic hilarity, as his blue eyes locked with his coach's. "I was just wondering if you and Sasuke were still at each other's throats. I haven't seen him around for a while."

"Well… actually, Kakashi…" The man was taking a bite out of a riceball very complacently, while not seeming very interested in the answer to his own questioning statement. Naruto bit his lip. He already owed his teacher for all the amazing training he'd received in the holidays. This was going to be a big ask. "Sasuke has joined the Akatsuki."

"Pfflssst!" Kakashi spluttered, his face turning pale as he almost choked on a mouthful of shredded chicken. "Say what? My champion in training has joined… what?"

"The Akatsuki. And I've been trying to ask for your help but you always seem to be off on dates," the exasperated fox told him.

"Yeah. Well women are just asking me out all the time and…" Pausing, the man squinted at the ground and scratched his head. "But he must be 'missing' to join those thugs. Wouldn't that sort of thing be televised?" Naruto narrowed his eyes at his teacher.

"It was. Until the Akatsuki obviously found a way to shut up the media." Sick of beating around the bush, the blond actually walked right up to the only half concentrating Kakashi, grabbed his shoulders and shook them. "We are losing Sasuke, sensei! You knew Itachi well – didn't he tell you about that kid's problems?"

"Well, yeah but-" the wolf began, before his shoulders were given another sharp tug.

"But we tried to get him back, Kakashi, and he's fucking formidable! He turned into a monster big enough to smash through walls, or throw a tank." Finally, the man seemed to click as his eyes slowly widened. "He beat his best friend to a pulp – who now has a fractured spine. There's a group of us ready to get him back, but the truth is even with our powers, we don't stand a chance. But if you can help all of us to hone our abilities we might be able to pull something off."

"Woah, Naruto. Hang on just one second," the teacher spluttered, shaking his head. "What makes you think that Sasuke is even still salvageable? If he broke his best friend's back so cruelly, then it might not even be worth it to go after him, because he's probably not the same as he was. In my whole life, I've never seen so much hatred in one so young as him."

"But…" The man's eyes were stern as he said this, and it made Naruto's blood turn cold. Maybe there was nothing left. "…I can't let this happen to him. Even if we might fail… I can't give up on him." Suddenly, to the fox's great surprise, Kakashi's hard eyes seemed to soften and he gave his pupil a warm smile.

"This isn't a no, but, don't you hate Sasuke?" he asked, with a gleam of knowledge. "Because I definitely remember him coming to school last term with two black eyes, broken ribs and lots of plasters."

"Well I do hate him!" the blond burst out, his fists clenching into balls. "But he's also my oldest friend and he's actually been really nice lately. At least, until he started going all quiet. Then he joined the Akatsuki…" For a moment his voice trailed away, and the fire in his eyes flickered as he broke his gaze with the wolf. "Somebody probably provoked him to do that. It doesn't take a genius to see that he's a little… twisted."

"And he's malleable," Kakashi added. "It was easy to get him to join the Judo club – all I had to do is tell him that it would make him more influential in school if he nurtured his abilities. He really jumped on that." Suddenly, Naruto seemed to flinch and his stare shot back to his teacher in surprise.

"B-but he said he joined to spend more time with me," he stuttered. "So are you saying that he has joined the Akatsuki to… I don't know… be more influential?"

"I dunno… Listen, Naruto." The wolf beckoned the blond in and lowered his voice. "I'll help you as much as you need me to. But promise me you won't repeat this, okay?" A twinge of gratefulness lightening his weighted heart, the fox gave a sharp nod. "Lately I've seen Sasuke hanging around that substitute teacher Orochimaru."

"Oh yeah!" gasped Naruto, remembering when the raven had accidentally mentioned their P.E. teacher.

"Well Orochimaru left at pretty much exactly the same time that Sasuke stopped showing up at school. I think that Orochimaru can transform and is playing on Sasuke's weaknesses to get him to join the Akatsuki. That must be it," the man whispered, his eyes narrow with recollection. "I met Orochimaru a few times and I always got a nagging feeling that he was trouble."

"But…" the blond began, but he was cut off as Kakashi whipped him with a glare.

"Look. I have to go Naruto, but I promise I'll train anyone you need me to to fight the Akatsuki, because I know that the members who can transform are far more advanced than kids. But you can only send people who know what they're getting into, okay? We aren't going to risk lives, but it could still be dangerous." Barely even having to give this condition a thought, Naruto nodded his head.

"I'll text you later."

_r u still alive? pls answer me. i didn't want 2 hurt u, but u were getting in my way. if u and my stupid brother try anything agen i will b forced 2 kill somebody nd I dont wanna do that. _Sighing softly to himself, blue eyes floated up to watch as Kakashi managed a leap from the old gym floor right up to the ceiling lights. A thunder of claps sounded from below, as Temari, Shikamaru, Sakura and Itachi watched as the Creative Writing teacher showcased his advanced skills. As for Gaara, he could only watch from his wheelchair at the wonderful exploits being made to save their foolish friend. For weeks now, Kakashi had been letting the self-dubbed 'Sasuke Retrieval Team' into the old gym and trying to show them the hidden techniques of transforming. These were things that they of course would have to learn if they were ever to match Sasuke's power. Even the wolf himself seemed shock to hear what the raven had managed to do, exclaiming that it took a normal person serious training to even master the simplest of techniques. Naruto was one of the few who already knew quite a lot of what Kakashi was teaching, as the wolf's good friend and pupil. But despite the difficulties of the mastership of transforming, everyone was doing well. Today though, was the first day Gaara was well enough to see them in action. His back was still in bad shape, but he felt that he was making his own progress in physio.

_You must still be in there somewhere, Sasuke. It's good to know that after three grueling weeks you finally managed to break through and text me. I'll be fine._ A text from Sasuke. For the first time in a very long time, the lizard felt a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Just like the retrieval team, this was yet another reason for hope. He may not have believed before, but maybe things could be alright again after all.

"You look happy," came a soft voice, but the redhead's aching neck forbade him from turning toward it. "Who are you texting?" Eyes dropping back to the screen, he exhaled slowly, before quickly locking it and shoving it into his pocket.

"Naruto," he lied. "Is there something you want?"

"I heard you came and I couldn't stay away, Gaara. We haven't spoken for weeks." The lizard's smile faded, and his narrow eyes watched Neji darkly.

"You have ignored me for weeks," he corrected, feeling his heart begin to race. "But you guys still invited me to the SRT, so thanks for that." Shaking his head, the white-eyed boy sat down in on the step next to the redhead.

"No one wanted to invite you – me least of all. Naruto made us ask you for some reason," the boy muttered bitterly. Despite the coldness of Neji's candour, which Gaara was more than used to, the lizard couldn't help but feel pleased by this. Although the brunet couldn't understand why the redhead felt the need to stand aside from the whole thing, Gaara was glad that Neji valued loyalty.

"Naruto is a lot nicer than I thought. Sasuke's lucky to have him," the lizard murmured, he was blessed by a small smile from the cold boy.

"That's right, and he's a good judge of character. You say Sasuke's an amazing person, but a crap friend, right?" Not quite sure where Neji was going with this, the redhead nodded slowly. "So even if someone like Orochimaru is manipulating him and making him a bad person, it won't last, but he'll probably be prone to screwing up."

"He's not coming back on his own, but if we go after him, somebody will die," Gaara stated, wiggling his fingers in his cast. "It'll be a lot worse than what's happened to me."

"Are you sure?" smirked the boy with strange eyes, flicking the blue fiberglass. "You had your humerus sticking out of your arm. I got the photo off Sakura and put on my phone."

"So I heard. Several times." Down in the court, the ground was swarming with mice, as Sakura had finally found out how to replicate her form. Others were having more difficulty, but Shikamaru and Temari were already grasping their ability to transform certain parts of their bodies.

"Hey! Stop it, Shikamaru! You're scaring me!" the blonde cried mirthfully, as the man sized dog with Shikamaru's head chased her around the room.

"Well it's a lot less troublesome to chase you when I have four legs," the dog drawled back, jumping as the girl took a swing at him with the heavy brick coloured tail poking out from under her skirt. Beaming at the playing teens, Kakashi's smile wavered as his eyes shifted across to the young man sitting on a bench away from the rest.

"Itachi. You haven't done anything all day," he said, shaking his head grumpily at the lazybones. Black eyes were fixed on the floor and refused to move.

"Hn. I can already do all those things," he mumbled, the weight of his head not allowing his chin to move properly against his hand. "You don't know how to become one of the really big monsters so I've already learnt everything. I'm also already proficient at Judo – I'm even better than Sasuke. So I have to sit here and wait for Naruto to get back so that we can spar."

"You prima donna." The Uchiha shuffled uncomfortably as his girlfriend marched up next to him and sat down, leaning her head on his shoulder. "Are you saying that we aren't good enough?"

"Yes," Itachi replied bluntly, draping an arm around her. "This is just really depressing. Every second that we waste could be vitally important. I… you know… I just want my little brother back."

"That's why we're doing this, Itachi," Kakashi told him. "The police can't do anything, because if they try they'll be shut down by the Akatsuki. There is no other way to get him back short of going on a suicide mission."

"I know…" Resting his chin in his love's soft hair, he tried to let her warmth wash away the cold dread that had been haunting him for so long now. For a moment it seemed to work, but his mind kept returning to that foolish brother of his. "Father barely cares that he's gone. He's convinced that Sasuke is ashamed of his homosexuality, and that's why he's run away. That bastard has no idea…"

"Wait!" gasped the wolf, before he scuttled over with eyes brimming with curiosity. "Sasuke's gay?" Unaware that the fox hadn't quite filled Kakashi in on all of the details, the Uchiha raised an eyebrow at the man.

"Ts. Yeah. Does Naruto look like a girl to you?" he snorted.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? No! Naruto and Sasuke? Sasuke and Naruto? Saruto and Nasuke?" the wolf spluttered, flapping his arms around. "That explains so much. We must be dealing with the mother of all love-hate relationships here." Kakashi was so shocked by this revelation that he barely noticed Itachi's eyes shift slightly.

"I hadn't actually mentioned this to him yet, Itachi," came Uzumaki's gruff voice, "but thanks."

"Whatever." Glaring at the raven, Naruto pouted and crossed his arms. "Cheer up, Naruto. You really think Kakashi would take issue with that?" the Uchiha drawled onto the pink hair. A pair of green eyes shot up.

"It wasn't your secret to share, Itachi," she scorned, frowning at him.

"I didn't know it was a secret." Finally snapping out of his bemused trance, Kakashi broke the stare with Naruto.

"Well I don't think Naruto wants to be swamped by Sasuke's screaming fan girls, does he?" he challenged, as Itachi watched him through hooded eyes.

"That's right – I don't," the blond grumbled.

"Ts. Kakashi wants to tell this 'secret' to… Sasuke's fan girls?" Giving an almighty huff, the wolf threw up his hands.

"Alright – I'm sick of this conversation," he snarled, roughly separating the girl from around the snake's waist and bringing his fist down onto the top of the young man's head. "You wanted to spar with Naruto? Well he's here now."

"Oh wait!" Slouching wearily, the teacher slowly turned back to the chipper fox.

"Yes… Naruto?" Just as he was about to let Naruto explain himself, Kakashi's eyes landed on two figures in the doorway. "Just who the hell are they?"

"Um… well, you know Sasori from Judo club, obviously. I thought Deidara was in your Creative Writing class," he explained, his voice quickly fading away as the wolf's eyes quickly began to narrow.

"Not those punks! Naruto!" Shikamaru barked, throwing his finger in the direction of 'those punks'. "They're nothing but trouble, and we don't need their help!"

"There's no need for that, Nara. The more the merrier," sighed the teacher, waving a dismissive hand. "Look, Naruto. I don't know how much I can teach these guys at short notice."

"Well, actually," the fox began, scratching his head and looking over as Sasori waved up at his cousin, "I've already taught Sasori and Deidara a fair amount."

"Right..? I'm happy to have them on board, but…" Somehow, Kakashi didn't look too convinced. "Honestly, I can't imagine a more troublesome pair," he said, making the ferret snigger.

"We won't cause any trouble, un. Naruto made us swear that we'd restrain ourselves," the long-haired blond laughed, nudging his soporific friend. "But if you need any help tutoring these people with their freaky powers we can help out, un." Not replying straight away, the man looked them up and down with scrutinising eye.

"Okay. I appreciate the help, so thanks guys." Still, he didn't look quite as gracious as he sounded, as his shoulders slumped forward. Meanwhile, Naruto was watching his teacher with a small pout and wide eyes. Everyone seemed exasperated by his friends, but he couldn't understand it. They were such fun to be around. Regardless of qualms though, the training did seem to go more smoothly with Sasori and Deidara helping Kakashi out, and Itachi seemed in a better mood as he practiced his more advanced abilities on the skilled and proficient fox.

"You may say that you don't think you should be a part of all this," Neji said with a soft smile, snapping Gaara out of his trance, "but you look so keen when you watch them work."

"You're right. I wish I was down there," the lizard replied, the corners of his lips turned down. "It looks like they're having fun."

"So you're punishing yourself." As something in his heart seemed to shudder, Gaara couldn't stop his eyes from seeking the boy's.

"I don't have the right to find enjoyment from Sasuke's disappearance," he mumbled, though he was finding it hard to pull out a coherent thought. Something about those endless white eyes messed his head.

"Then don't. But Gaara…" Somehow, Neji seemed slightly befuddled as well. "…you owe it to your friend to do something." Suddenly, for no apparent reason (to Gaara), Neji's cheeks turned a deep red. "Ahem," he coughed, quickly turning his eyes away. And then, again for no reason he could fathom, the redhead felt his own face heat up slightly.

"Are you… uh… okay?" he stuttered, as he quickly began to panic. His heart was pounding and his palms were sweaty, and for some reason he couldn't string his words together quite so well. That weirdo always seemed to have this effect on him, and it was terrifying.

"Yes. Yes. Yes, I'm fine," Neji replied, glaring at the lizard out the corner of his eye. It drove him mad that someone so clearly in love with him kept rejecting him.

"Um… actually, Neji…" Faster than a bullet, the pair of eyes shot back to the redhead's face. "I don't think… I know how to be a good friend to Sasuke. I don't know what's missing, but…" His voice was getting wobblier and wobblier. "The truth is… I… want to say… the right things to him… but… I don't know how… and…" Gaara felt a shiver run up his chattering spine as Neji's surprised eyes seemed to soften, even melt. "…that is to say… I need… your help."

"Yup. I know," the boy smirked, his cheeks dusted pink. "Because… I was going to say before – you owe it to your friend to open your heart." An icy drop of surprise dripped into the lizard's burning chest, making him frown.

"Is that a metaphor for..? I told you I don't like Sasuke that way! I hate repeating myself," he snapped, feeling an unexpected irritation.

"I know! Idiot – I didn't mean open your heart to him in a gay way. I mean you don't have to talk to him like he's your father all the damn time," Neji groaned, staring at the lizard in disbelief. "Seriously… You worry so much about saying as little as possible, but you just talk in condensed opinions."

"Oh." Still, Gaara's frown didn't fade. "I find it annoying when people go into too much detail."

"See?" cried the brunet, flicking his hand. "You did it again. Expressing yourself in detail is healthy, Gaara. I mean, you don't just do it to anyone, but Sasuke is definitely someone to express yourself to. If you did that more, he'd feel comfortable to talk to you about his troubles at home." The lizard slowly batted his lazy eyelids.

"I'm not sure I follow…" Out of total exasperation, the passionate spark brightening Neji's face fell flat.

"This is so simple, Gaara," he sighed, shaking his head wearily. "If you trust someone enough to talk to them about what's in your heart, you are showing them that you love them. There are other ways to show it too, but he might get the wrong idea." As Neji said 'love' his face seemed to heat up again, but his brow remained heavy and irritable. It was definitely weird having to explain this to someone as old as Gaara. "Why do you have to be so darn shallow?"

"I… I'm not shallow, Neji," the lizard gasped, shocked that his admirer would be so critical of him.

"But you are a hardhead. Even Sasuke was softer than you. His emotions were his weakness, and he needed you to help him carry the weight." Biting his lip to stop himself from making unnecessary sounds of discontent, the redhead's azure eyes wavered.

"I know all this. I just don't know how to… open my heart, as you say. It's just not something I'm good at." The stare that Neji was giving him was so intense; it felt like lasers were burning into Gaara's head.

"Well," he murmured, shifting himself along the seat, closer to Gaara's wheelchair. "…you could start…" Suddenly, the lizard was burning up all over again as the brunet's face inched closer to his. "…by experiencing love."

"But," the redhead began, though he wasn't really trying to move away.

"Shhh," he hushed, brushing his lashes softly against the boy's pink cheeks. "I know you prefer to avoid it, but love is exactly what you are missing."

"I thought you were just…" Attracted sexually? If this went on much longer, Gaara thought he may have a heart attack.

"Ai shiteru," Neji whispered, bringing his hand forward and loosely gripping the boy's chin, running his thumb across his soft skin.

"Kiss him already!" somebody yelled, but it was a little too late. By then the brunet had already had laid his lips, totally unchallenged, on the other's.

"Shut up, you imbecile," Shikamaru sneered at the imbecile. "Way to ruin their moment." Somewhere behind the arguing dog and ferret, Kakashi was shaking his head in disbelief.

"This is meant to be serious, okay?" he grumbled, looking sideways up at the long, slow kiss in which the teens were partaking.

"Oh trust me," the brunet with spiked hair said, glancing over his shoulder, "he needs this more than you know."

"And even more than you know, Shikamaru," snorted Temari, raising an eyebrow up at her brother.

"Okay!" the wolf barked suddenly, causing all eyes to shoot to him, and for Neji and Gaara to quickly separate, both blushing violently. "Let's just clear this up. Put your hand up if you're gay." Up went five hands. Frowning, the man looked around, back at Itachi and then to Temari and Shikamaru, before turning to Sakura, who simply shrugged. "Well I'm no mathematician, but that seems statistically disproportionate to me."

"Actually, you're gonna kick yourself when you hear this, sensei, but," the cherry blossom said, a smirk on her lips, "gays _do_ typically attract other gays – that's sort of the idea."

"Ha, ha. Good point, smart ass." He didn't really seem that amused. Naruto found himself wondering if perhaps his teacher was slightly wary of homosexuals. There was certainly a bit of that about. People like that though tended to try and cover themselves in a little too much detail as well. "Not that I have a problem with that, of course. I'm adult, and I know and am friends with many people with alternative sexual preferences."

"Um… Sensei, getting a crush on someone who can transform isn't bestiality," Deidara told him, keeping a convincingly straight face.

"Look, I'm not a homophobe, okay?" he persisted, narrowing his eyes at the blond. "It's just creepy to think about… how your love lives function. But you know, it's great that people are different."

"Right," Deidara, Sasori and Naruto chorused. Shikamaru snickered.

"Anyway… this is getting awkward, and I'm kind of sleepy, so should we call it a day, Kakashi?" he asked, a wry smile still lingering on his lips.

"Neji," Gaara mumbled, too shy to look the boy in his milky eyes, "home sounds nice. Do you want to come for dinner?" Without answering, the smiling brunet got to his feet and took the handles of the chair. Heart brimming, the lizard brought his fingers to his lips as he was rolled to the elevator. That felt… refreshingly new.

"Hey Naruto. Come home with us, un," the ferret suggested, jogging over to his friend with a broad smile on his face. "We haven't spent much time as a group lately." Putting on his own large smile, the whiskered boy tried to cover the heavy worry hanging on his heart.

"Another time, okay? I just don't feel like I can relax with you guys until… you know." Deidara sighed, and gave his friend a sad nod.

"Y-yeah… okay. Well we're leaving now, so see you later, un," he said, waving to the fox as he made his way back to Sasori. With the skip in his step greatly diminished, he and the young man headed out the door after Gaara, Neji, Shikamaru and Temari. As soon as they had gone, Naruto took a deep breath, and turned to the remaining three in the room.

"Those two _cannot_ know about what I had with Sasuke," he warned. "I'm talking to you, Uchiha." Itachi shrugged, wearing his very typical smirk. Normally that would've irritated the volatile blond, but under the circumstances… it made him want to run out of the room.

"Our lips are sealed," Kakashi muttered, clearly not interested in sharing that detail in the least. "Go home, Naruto. You've done some great work today, but it's time to go home and have a rest." A rest, he thought incredulously, as he made his slow way down the street. By now, the sun had all but disappeared behind the buildings and smog. Having walked home from school for his whole life, Naruto was savvy enough to take the least crowded streets on his way home. When he was sad it was nice to have some quiet.

"But I can't rest. I miss Sasuke…" he whispered to himself, his watery blue eyes slowly sinking to the pavement. Kicking a stone to the side, he took some joy out of the loud clattering and plop as it dropped down into the drain. Recently Kakashi showed him a really neat trick – he could use his heightened senses without obvious physical transformations. It wasn't quite as good as having rotating ears, but it was still cool. The sounds of the city became more than sirens and engines. Twenty metres down the road behind him, he could hear a plastic bag being buffeted around by the evening breeze. Up in the apartments above him he could hear a teenager singing loudly to themself – and out of tune. Water trickling down the gutters, birds landing on the windowpanes, doors slamming, wind blowing… within reason, he could hear it all. "Sasuke…" It hurt so much. Gasping, he was forced to knees, clutching his stomach. It was like his stomach was clenching into a tiny ball. Over and over again. "Sasuke…" People cooking dinner, someone screaming in frustration, people walking along the street, gentle pants from the alley beside him. Naruto froze. The panting stopped. For a while, his eyes were fixed to the minute grooves in the pavement, but whoever it was still holding their breath. A tiny scrape… Twisting his head around, the fox captured the lurking figure just as it gasped and turned to run. "Sasuke!" he roared, leaping to his feet. Hesitating for only a moment, the dark shape of Sasuke looked out of the darkness with two blood red eyes before turning and breaking into his unbeatable sprint. Things had changed now. Focusing hard on the muscles in his body, Naruto burst into his own run, with the relative strength and agility of a canine – an animal born to run – in his body. Tearing after the boy at speeds he'd never reached before in his life, he could feel the gap between him and the serpent narrowing quickly. Sasuke didn't even make it to the end of the street.

"Shit!" he cried, as a hand tore at his shirt. It didn't grip him quite, but as he stumbled, the blond slammed into his back. In a second, the muscled boy threw the raven against the wall like he was just a stick. There was a sickening crack and a cry of pain as his head hit the concrete. Dazed and aching, Sasuke flailed uselessly as Naruto snapped a handcuff around one pale wrist, and forced it up behind the raven's back and cuffed it to the other wrist. "Ts! You carry handcuffs?" the viper sneered, wriggling as the fox forced him back with hands.

"Since recently," growled the blond, his whiskers shuddering.

"Really smooth, dobe. Cliché too. And where'd you learn to run like that?" asked the creature, his glowing eyes raking every inches of the fox's body, trying to see the trick – perhaps he had grown paws or something.

"Pretty cool, ne? Looks like Orochimaru doesn't know everything, teme." Wincing as he was shoved against the concrete again, Sasuke hissed at the blond.

"Fuck you." That usuratonkachi knew so much somehow. A crushing pain threw his head to the side as a heavy fist suddenly collided with his jaw.

"How long were you spying on me, teme?" Naruto spat, holding up his fist as if to threaten the raven.

"Less than thirty seconds. I thought I was being stealthy, but clearly I need to work on that," the snake smirked. Greedy eyes soaking in the anger on the blond's face, Sasuke rotated his jaw, making it click.

"Why are you spying on me?" he asked, his blue eyes swirling with amber. The raven's own slit-like eyes narrowed dangerously, and he refused grace the other with a response. "Tell me!" Heart racing in his chest, the snake wriggled against the cuffs again, but to no avail. The glare he was fixing the fox with was pure poison, right up until he was punched in the face again. "Sasuke!" Slowly turning back to his captor, the boy's eyes fluttered back open to reveal two familiar, black pools. But the pools were filled with resent, as he spat a decent amount of blood onto the pavement with a sneer.

"I wasn't spying on you. I just wanted to see your face," he grumbled, as the wine-dark blood ran slowly down his parchment skin. "It's… required that I don't see you until I have achieved my goal. You know, it really sucks. I still…" Before he finished, his lips seemed to tighten, and his glare intensified tenfold, as the blond's softened. "You better not be getting your hopes up." At first Naruto looked empathetic, but they soon began to dance in the dim light as his heart grew heavy with grief yet again.

"H-how could you do that to me, Sasuke?" Biting his lip, the Sasuke tried his hardest to hold his glare, but his whole body was shaking. Never in his life had those blue eyes looked so hurt. "Y-you promised that you'd never do this to me again… you're breaking my heart."

"Ha…" His heart gave an aching pound, sending the nerves in the snake's cheek haywire. "Naruto, if I don't do this I won't be able to live with myself. I'm destroying lives to save lives – my own included. And if you hate me for it I'm glad. The truth is… I'm a monster."

"I'm not letting you do this, Sasuke. You aren't saving your life – you're ruining it!" the blond growled, the arms gripping the raven's collar trembling. "You're dragging me down, and Itachi, and Gaara and everyone who cares about you, and everyone who cares about them. You think you don't make a difference, Sasuke, but you do!"

"Shut up, you fucking usuratonkachi," the snake sneered, lapping up some blood from his upper lip. "You have no idea what you're talking about. I can do whatever I want, and if you get in my way I'll do a lot worse than break your heart."

"You little shit!" barked the fox, as his teeth sharpened like blades. Expecting to be punched again, Sasuke flinched away.

"Hn!" he gasped, as instead of being met with a punch, strong fingers seized his chin and pulled his lips into a moist kiss. "Naruhmmph…" Somewhat bewildered, the raven barely gave a thought as he parted his lips, allowing the Naruto's brutal tongue access. Just as his brain was about to tell him to bite down on the intrusion, the fox pulled away, a silken strand of saliva hanging on their lips.

"You're always so stubborn, and you have such a sharp tongue." An acidic glare directed at the golden orbs, Sasuke went to retort, but suddenly something ran against his nether regions, and all he managed was a depraved moan, as his head rolled back.

"Fuck… you…" Once again, he tried to jostle the blond away and run for it, but his upper body seemed to go limp as the hand gently rubbed the front of his jeans. At first he tried to escape the treacherous fingers, but when they followed him he relaxed.

"If you keep doing this you'll get nothing but hell, and you'll deserve it too," whispered Naruto, softly stroking the stiffness, knowing perfectly well that it was torture for his captive. "You go on and on about how you are 'powerful' and that you could kill anyone at any time, but I really hate you. I could make pretty similar threats right now."

"I would be sad to hurt you," Sasuke puffed, trying not to let his mind cloud over too much. "Don't want… I don't want… you to think of me that way. Stop before this gets out of hand…" Still grimacing, the fox finally relented with his hand actions, and let his fingers trail up the boy's sides, before slipping back down to his hips. Growling softly, the blond rolled his crotch hard against the others, manipulating the raven's trembling body with his guiding hands.

"You wanted me to see you, baby, otherwise you wouldn't have kept this form," he breathed, leaning in and nuzzling the snake's gossamer neck.

"Uuuuh…" Red clouds were filling his mind, as Sasuke fought the losing battle against stimulation. The heat of the fox's familiar, spicy breath made his heart slow down to impossible speeds. Having his restrained body messed with like this, and in an alley where anyone could walk past at any time was almost driving him mad with lust. "Fuck… I need you, Naruto… so make love to me…" As the blond purred into his ear and bucked his hardness aggressively into the other's, the raven's eyes shot open in horror at what he'd just said out loud.

"I'll do whatever you want. Just come back." Not again. Every time Naruto pleaded, it burned Sasuke almost more than he could handle. And aside from that, Sasuke was disgusted with himself for being so weak to this torment. "You can transform at any time and disappear back to those Akatsuki criminals. I'll do anything to make you stay. Anything." By now the snake's moans were well finished, though he was still rocking back in the rhythm the two had found. Such a strange mix of pleasure and pain…

"I love you," he whispered. There was nothing more to say than that. Naruto knew exactly what it meant, as the tears began to trickle steadily onto the pale shoulder. "I love you. I love you." Tears were something that no strong man should shed. But the unmistakable cool on his cheeks was real, as much as he tried to ignore the fact that he'd begun to silently weep as well.

"I love you too, Sasuke. So much. So when you are done killing yourself, I'll still be there to fit things back together. There's no way I'm staying out of your way. That's a promise." Somehow, the raven suddenly felt the need to laugh. This love was screwing him over.

"That's inconvenient. I just happen to have the most loyal, kind friend in the whole world." He shook again, trying to get the blond to loosen his grip, but it still wasn't happening. "Hn…" Two halves of himself were running in opposite directions. He had already tried to rip one of those halves away in order to survive, but now it seemed as present as ever. "Hnn… So be it." If it meant he had to drag that half of himself kicking and screaming away from his old life, then so be it. Without Sasuke even fully noticing, Naruto had stopped rocking against him.

"I know I say I hate you, but I don't mean it. Please… please…" It was no use. His eyes were glued shut, but the fox still knew that the raven was transforming as the body shook under his arms. Suddenly, it seemed to crumple away as hundreds of bodies began to slide away.

"Be patient. In one month thissss will be over and my world will be reborn. The ssstrong shall fall and I shall assscend. Then I shall heal everything that they have ssso cruelly dessstroyed." Finally, the cuffs clattered the ground and the hissing dissipated into the darkness. All that remained was a broken hearted boy clinging desperately to thin air, his whole body shaking with grief.

"Teme…"

**Awwwww Gaara and Neji :D Screw the orig story i have carrots.**

**I am the donkey. The review button is the carrot.**

**I don't want you to get to the bottom of this after-thought without giving me my carrots!**

**Haha the first three sentences end with carrot(s).**

**No four. This sentence is a rebel.**

**...So you say everything's gonna be alright now. But how do you really know? How d'ya know everything's gonna be alright now? Cos that's the scene i saw! Awhooaaaa~! watch Babysitter Circus on Youtube carrots.**

**HEE HAW GIVE ME MY CARROT**

**oh shut up...carrot**


	15. Panic

**Sorry about the disgustingly long wait. Oh btw I have made a discovery (not a profound one sorry) - I am a lot busier during the holidays than school. CURSE YOU SUMMER JOB oh except the money i like money :3 So yup soz bout the wait. I worked on it during just under half my spare time, ie. I have nearly no spare fucking time right now its lame. Lucky for my writing but not for me, I'm back at school next week.**

15 – Panic

It was a still night, and a perfect time for the crows to straighten and preen their inky feathers. Without a single breeze rustling the leaves of the forest, it was silent enough for them to lower their guard. Beady eyes still looked out from the barred window where they perched, but the black birds seemed more interested in running their feathers through their beaks. The animals of the forest had been so active at this time of the year and they were finally able to relax without being constantly bothered. Even crows got fed up with the hustle bustle of the woods every so often.

Crash!

Hearts leaping out of their chests as something heavy shattered against the window behind them, the squawking birds struggled out of the bars and flapped irritably around the dingy complex.

"Fuck off!" Sasuke screamed at them, seizing another ceramic pot from the box and hurling it at the window. Realising they weren't in any real danger, the black gliders flapped back into their perch and rapped their beaks on the window, laughing hysterically at the red-faced boy. "Shut up!" He wasn't yelling at the crows. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut the hell up!" he cried, holding his hands up to his face. "Wh-what the hell is wrong with me?" It felt like his head was going to explode. "Mother… I just want to help! But I'm too weak…" Too many things were screaming at him at once. That sick, freezing shock that had come over him when he attacked Gaara on his blundered mission was back, but his mind was such a mess that he couldn't identify what was making him feel like this. "Master!" he rasped, calling out into the darkness. "Master!"

"Your master isn't here at the moment, Sasuke." As the cold voice wafted out of nowhere, the snake froze.

"Madara-sama?" he whispered, feeling his heavy bones shivering like feathers. The master of his master. No one ever saw his face, as he was always shrouded in darkness. But everyone knew his voice.

"You are a valuable servant, Sasuke. Going insane isn't acceptable," the voice snarled. "Pull yourself together." At first the raven was slightly miffed at the suggestion that he was losing his mind, but then he found himself wondering what the shadow meant by 'valuable servant'. The only mission he'd ever actually been given was the one he'd blundered. It was possible that Madara was interested in his powers, but that didn't seem likely. There were some very dangerous people in the Akatsuki that even a prodigy like the youngest Uchiha couldn't match yet.

"With all due respect, tono," the snake hissed, "if this conversation is going where I think its going, I might snap and rip this building out of its foundations." Lips curling back, Sasuke narrowed his red eyes as the shadow began to cackle.

"What audacity. Typical of a youth like you to forget his place. Still, I admire your ruthlessness." The raven raised an eyebrow. "And I don't doubt that if you wanted to destroy the base you could. Orochimaru has trained your physical abilities very efficiently. However, your mind is clearly quite fragile."

"Fragile?" the boy sneered, folding his arms. "I'm having a conflict of principle, not a bipolar moment."

"One is just as dangerous as the other. But I know what might help you to become stronger mentally – Orochimaru is a master of magic, but I know that psyche is equally as important. You can't control what you use your powers for if you can't first control yourself." Somewhat slighted by this, Sasuke frowned. But when he thought about it, throwing pots at crows and yelling at himself was probably kind of loopy.

"What should I do about it, tono?" he asked, his voice tainted with hostility. If the raven ever took orders from Madara, Orochimaru would be livid. There was probably a good reason for it too, so the snake was always wary of the shadow.

"I have a small unit that I dispatch for kidnappings and ransoming, as they are very stealthy and professional. They're also the friendlier members of the Akatsuki, so they can get along with their captives. Join them on their next mission, and try to make some new friends. Once you do this you'll find it easier to focus." New friends? Sasuke snorted.

"I don't want to have attachments-" he began, but the shadow cut across him.

"This isn't a question, you bastard. You'll do what I fucking tell you to do, you hear?" A smirk spread across the cocky Uchiha's lips.

"Or what?" he retorted.

"Or I kill everyone you ever cared about. By that I mean I'll set your manically depressed mother on fire, and I mean I'll feed the chief of police's son to the dogs." The smile faltered, as beads of sweat began to appear on the raven's brow. "And I also mean Gaara, Shikamaru, Sakura and that tenacious brother of yours will be scattered all over Tokyo fucking city in little pieces – but I won't stop there."

"Okay! I get it," the boy sniffed, gritting his teeth. "I'll go with your spec ops unit. Orochimaru won't like it, though." Sasuke would remember this. Madara blackmailed him, somehow knowing the identities of his old friends and that his mother was sick.

"You're damn right I won't like it!" Sasuke whipped around in surprise just to see Orochimaru stomping toward him. "You are  
>supposed to be helping me, not that group of fools."<p>

"Of course, Master," the snake said with a small smirk. This could be his lucky break.

"Sorry, Orochimaru – but I'm putting him with them for the week." Snarling viciously, the demon swung around to glare into the darkness.

"I need Uchiha-san here," he hissed, his narrow eyes brimming with acidity.

"Sasuke, like all the other operatives here, is under my authority. So I'm going to make some proper use of him." Rolling his eyes, the young serpent found a low hiss seeping from his lips. So that's what this was about. Orochimaru didn't seem too impressed either.

"Fine," he snarled, crossing his arms. "But I want him back in a day."

"Good for you. You'll have him back in a week." Clearly there was no negotiating with this guy.

It was a sleepy morning after Naruto's brief encounter with his 'ex', it being Sunday. Still, he had to drag himself reluctantly out of bed and make his way to the park. After all, he was the one who'd proposed the SRT meeting, so he had to be on time, didn't he? He was concerned that the SRT needed more members to help make operations swift and safe. Originally there was a huge list of things he needed to talk about, but the fox's mind was so distracted that he couldn't quite remember what they all were. But of course, he certainly had a new thing to add to that list that was very clear in his memory. By the time he had made it to the park, somebody was already there. Somebody that he'd completely forgotten about since he'd invited her.

"Um," he muttered dazedly, as he ambled up to her. "Hi Ino-kun." That's right. He'd asked a whole bunch of 'norms' to come to the meeting as well. Shit. These were all people that they'd somehow have to talk to about… the truth. At least Neji had a calm reaction.

"Hey, Naruto," she replied, giving him a small nod.

"Where are the others? You know, Hinata and that." Yeah. Hinata and 'that' meaning Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Tobi, Rock, Choji and Tenten. Of course, everyone else was coming as well, so at least he wasn't 'breaking the news' all by himself.

"It's still early," Ino said, not quite looking Uzumaki in the eye. Even compared to normal, the girl's skin seemed particularly white. "This is about Sasuke-kun, isn't it? How he's gone missing?"

"Sasuke's sick, and he's being taken advantage of by criminals," the blond told the other blonde quite bluntly. "It looks bad, but his friends know better and we want to bring him back. We want your help." A quarter of an hour later this was exactly what he was telling all of the new members, with a heart like rock.

"Wait," Kiba cut in, throwing up his hand. Naruto sighed. While he'd been left with this job, the others were in a circle five metres away making 'serious plans too complicated' for him to understand with Kakashi. They could be so mean.

"What's up, Kiba?" he asked tiredly.

"I thought you hated Sasuke-kun." Straight away, there was a murmur of agreement as the fox was pinned down by raised eyebrows and skeptical looks.

"I did. But he's proven himself to be really nice. He's not a very good friend, but he is an amazing person," he told them, a small smile on his lips as he thought about the bravery and dedication Sasuke had shown him. "I think… he's the best person I know," he added, accidentally attracting a few looks from his friends.

"See?" Ino cried all of a sudden. "I always knew that those stories about Sasuke-kun were one-sided and mean. He's a good person! We have to help." Another wave of agreement washed through the crowd.

"Okay, great. That was the easy part to tell you guys, but there's something that'll probably shock you." Oh goody. Their eyes just had to fill with curiosity, didn't they? "It isn't really well known, but there are some people who can kind of… turn into animals. I don't know the science, but it's some kind of weird genetic 'trait' or something… I really don't get it. But there's quite a few of us who can change into animals." As eyes began to glaze over, sweat began to collect on the blond's forehead. "I mean, not into any animal. Each person has one specific animal that they can change into."

"Spacehead," Kiba snorted, rolling his eyes. Next to him, Hinata was suddenly turning very red, as her shivery white eyes locked with Naruto's.

"Na-Na-Naruto-kun," she stuttered. The fox narrowed his eyes at the girl to notice that she was swaying slightly on the spot.

"Uh… what is it, Hinata?" he asked her. She was so strange. Kind of cute though.

"M-my friend from Canada has powers like that. She's a p-p-p…" Feeling slightly awkward, the blond tried to help her finish the sentence.

"Penguin?" he tried, but Kiba tutted at him.

"There are no penguins in Canada, genius," he teased.

"…p-p..." That was one hell of a stutter the girl seemed to have.

"Porpoise?" The blue haired girl shook her head, as her face turned from red to redder. What other animals started with 'p'? "Panda?"

"Is it a polar bear?" Shino asked her, turning his head slowly to face her. Sighing in relief, the girl gave a sharp nod.

"Yes. A polar bear." At first she seemed satisfied, but her blush returned very quickly as she was given a very exasperated look from the blond.

"Sorry, but I don't buy it," Rock said, as everyone was finished being amazed at Hinata. "If you can transform, why don't you just show us?"

"What, in a public place, Lee?" the fox snorted, as they all let out a groan. Though, as his eyes wandered over to the public bathroom, he had an idea. Within ten minutes, they were all convinced, and ready to join the SRT. Except for Tenten. As the others went to join Kakashi and the rest of the group, she hung back until the blue-eyed blond noticed her.

"You don't have to be part of the team," he murmured, so the others couldn't hear him. "We don't know exactly what we're dealing with. It could be dangerous."

"It's not that," she whispered, looking up at him through her chocolate brown eyes. "I don't know if I'm comfortable working with… Shikamaru." Naruto frowned. He hadn't known the two had anything to do with each other.

"Um… well Shikamaru is one of Sasuke's best friends. Did you guys have something… or something?" Tenten shrugged.

"We dated for a short time, but it's not that either. He's just…" She leaned into the fox's ear a little more and lowered her voice. "I really can't stand his attitude. I can barely be in the same room with him when he's complaining. It just annoys me." That probably made it a little awkward.

"Well… okay," the blond muttered, somewhat annoyed that Tenten had to be so intolerant of a genius like Shikamaru. "Um…"

"Don't worry. I'll be over in a second," she reassured, sensing his discomfort. The brunette turned him around and pushed him softly in the direction of Tobi, who was waiting for him. Expecting the dark-haired boy to look disappointed, Naruto couldn't help but feel quite surprised to see that he didn't seem any different to usual.

"You guys have powers? That's so amazing!" he grinned, as the fox frowned at him.

"Naruto!" Kakashi called suddenly, having separated himself from the others. He waggled his finger at the blond.

"What's wrong?" he asked, feeling increasingly left out.

"These people can't see the plans. I hid them, so they don't know, but for now there's nothing they can do here, so Neji's telling them to go home." The fox blinked.

"Why can't they see the plans?" Biting his lip, the teacher shrugged.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but why do you think generals don't show their plans to the grunts?" Naruto's frown deepened.

"In case there are spies in the ranks. Also because they don't need to see the plan to be helpful when 'duty calls'." It was a bit sad though, because he didn't want to seem distrustful of his friends. "Yeah. Okay. But there's something really important I need to talk to 'the generals' about."

"So this is the famous Sasuke Uchiha," sneered a boy – one of the strangest people the raven had ever seen in his life.

"Famous?" Jaw stiff as stone, Sasuke crossed his arms and glared at the unusual group he'd been assigned to.

"Yeah," said a taller young man with fiery red hair, spraying from his head like a fountain of orange. "We always figured you'd be one of our targets one day, as the youngest Uchiha." There was a short pause, as the snake's eyes narrowed slightly at the redhead.

"And what is our mission?" he asked, with a slight hiss to his tone.

"We're kidnapping some kid called Abumi Zaku," replied the first, staring at the raven through astonishingly violet eyes. "That's all we need to know. Any questions?"

"A couple," he said slowly, wondering if this sort of briefing was going to become a regular thing working for the Akatsuki.

"Well, Sasuke, I don't care." Snorting at the impolite boy with blue-white hair, he took a threatening step forward. Much to his satisfaction, Sasuke was several centimetres taller than this boy, and easily overshadowed him.

"I may not have ever kidnapped anyone before, but I have plenty of experience at instilling agony," he slurred, smirking as the confidence in the purple eyes flickered.

"Look, cutie, don't listen to him," came the softer voice of a girl. "He's just a null. We never get told the details of the mission, but we get payed plenty for catching whoever we get asked to catch." Irritated at her flirtations but too experienced to react, the raven turned to her with bored eyes.

"Well just so long as you don't treat me like a rookie… There's nothing that you need done that I can't do," he told her, as the strange kid let out a snort.

"If you're so smart, then you can tell us who the hell this Zaku guy is," he snarled.

"I can do one better," Sasuke retorted, shooting him an acidic glare. "I know where the asshole lives." Clapping her hands together, the girl with tomato red hair and eyes behind thick rimmed spectacles beamed up at the viper.

"Great! You're proven yourself to be a valuable asset already." The raven raised an eyebrow. "It's nice to meet you, Sasuke. That dork with freaky pointed teeth and purple eyes is Suigetsu, this is Jugo, and you can call me Karin."

"Whatever." Suigetsu glanced at the tomato haired girl and sniggered.

"Clearly he's not interested, you ugly hag." The raven rolled his eyes and turned away just as the boy cried out in pain. _Three zeroes still add to nothing. I can't put up with much more of this…_ Sprawled on the table of the campervan (that's right – a campervan) that they were using as a base of operations was a map of Tokyo. Straight away, his black eyes spotted the area that the Abumis resided. He knew it well, as he'd gone there several times as a kid and was forced to spend time with the bully Zaku while the adults went upstairs to discuss business. Itachi would be in their kitchen asking the servants about the cars they had to drive, and Sasuke would be stuck having fun poked at him all afternoon. For a while, the raven tried really hard to make friends with the angry brunet, but Zaku had always been unfriendly to him for some unfathomable reason. He stopped going at the age of ten, but when they started going to the same high school – Uchiha Academy – he was back in close proximity with the jerk.

"He lives around here. Get us there and I'll know their mansion straight away." Karin dropped Suigestu and peered over Sasuke's shoulder, before snatching up the map and taking a closer look.

"That's definitely corporate scum housing. Thanks, handsome," she cooed, leaning in to kiss his cheek, but he grabbed her forehead and pushed the disgruntled girl away.

"This feels familiar," he mumbled to himself, as she tried to look at him through puppy dog eyes. Behind her Jugo and Suigetsu were groaning and the weirdo was even pulling rude gestures to her back.

"You're so cruel, Sasuke," the redheaded girl whined, before flicking her long hair and moving to the driver's seat with map in hand. "Now sit your ass down, Suigetsu. Running around in the van while we're trying to make an escape is not a good tactic."

"Bitch," the boy muttered bitterly, flopping down onto the window seat. The compliant Jugo sat down with him but the rebellious snake chose to sit as far away from the others as possible.

"Sasuke-kun, you can help me and Suigetsu," the fire headed boy told him, his serious eyes staring into Sasuke's. "It's Karin's job to locate the target, Suigetsu's job to break in without setting off alarms and mine to secure the target. You could make both our jobs a lot easier."

"Hey," objected the other angrily, shooting up in his seat. "I don't need a pathetic, snobby know-nothing like him telling me how to do my work." Once again choosing not to react, the raven gladly redirected his attention out the window as the rolled through the cluttered streets.

"At least Sasuke knows when to shut his mouth, you hideous freak!" Could it really be much worse? A useless bunch of zeroes. This was not going to help his mentalitly. It would probably drive him completely around the bend. But it kept his mind distracted. Perhaps that's what he needed – distraction. For now, just watching the street lamps flicker as they shot down the highway enough. His eyelids began to droop, as he continued to ignore Suigetsu fighting for his attention. _This isn't the right thing to do. It's the easiest. I shouldn't be here. I should be with her. You are just like him._

"Sasuke! Wakey wakey. Don't go to sleep, pal." Before his eyes even flew open the raven knew his face was pressed up against the window hard, and that somebody was sitting on him.

"Fuck off," he growled, shifting his weight and forcing Suigetsu to slip off his lap. "I wasn't asleep." Without getting up off the floor, the strange boy turned to him with an eyebrow raised and a lip curled in disbelief.

"You've been snoring for half an hour, fuckwit," he snorted, receiving a murderous glare from the snake. "So are you going to use your weird powers to help out, or what?"

"Get out of my way," sighed the dark-haired boy. Riddled with irritation, he pulled himself roughly past Suigetsu and stumbled sleepily over to the door, where Jugo and Karin were waiting. The redheaded girl turned to him with serious eyes.

"Now, Sasuke. On these missions the key is silence and speed. Here," she told him, handing the raven a small earpiece. "If you need us to be quiet, then just request radio silence and we'll know not to contact you until you give us the all clear. As long as you do what Suigetsu and Jugo tell you to do, you'll be just fine."

"Hn." Despite his level attitude, the raven couldn't help the slight tingle of his nerves. This was another chance at pulling off a serious mission. Without even waiting for the others' instructions, he slipped down into his inky form and darted into the treeline. Sharp vibrations under his belly told him that the two young men were pursuing him, so he hissed to alert them to his presence as he made his way through the long grass of the hillside. Everything here tasted familiar – the fresh spring water and the taste of birds, mammals and lizards were thick in the air. Once they reached the bottom of the hill there would be a small creek narrow enough to jump across, and then up the steep bank would be the small manor. Hissing louder as the footsteps behind him became more distant, he guided them around the trees and loose ground, slipping under fallen branches and darting away from a silent, swooping owl. Familiar flavours from his childhood… they made him shudder in disgust. As he got closer he could taste that detergent had been leaking down into the stream. Of course. Apart from his own room, everything in the Uchiha mansion was old, dusty and creaky. However Sasuke could distinctly remember that the Abumi manor was constantly sparkly and it reaked of cleaning products. While he himself was tidy, the Abumis were clean – of course except for Zaku's room, which was a pigsty. This was one of the reasons he could put up with Naruto's untidiness – because he was also used to Zaku's room which was actually filthy and smelled of dead animals. Oh god… he was thinking about that guy again. Forget it, forget it… As the floor of dried leaves began to level out, it also started to feel softer and moist on his scales. Straight away, his heart seemed to gallop ahead, and he slowed down just as his head was about to go over the bank and into the stream. It was only a short distance. He could swim that. Somewhere to his left he could feel the other two waiting for him to make his move. Tongue flicking rapidly, his globial red eyes shot between the black, trickling water and the boys, who were both fixing him with a hard stare. The snake took a deep breath. Things were different now. He wasn't going to be weak. Slowly, his eyes moved back to the cold trail of death seeping down the tiny valley it had created. _Damn it…_ Hissing irritably, the black body made a dash away from the stream and toward a gnarled tree trunk. Not wasting any more time, his body easily clung to the bark as he slithered up into the twiggy canopy. At least he wasn't afraid of heights, he reasoned, sliding along the longest, thickest branch that reached out across to the steep bank on the other side of the stream. His body weaved around the little branches with much ease, and he flung himself across the gap and landed with a gentle thud halfway up the dirt valley. Hissing again to encourage the others to follow, he quickly darted up the last of the slope and stopped at the towering wall. With only a quick scan of the cement brick, he spotted a grey pipe running up the side of the building. While he wasn't to keen on being wedged inside that narrow tube, he saw that it'd be easy to climb the side and then slip through that open window next to it. It must be the kitchen, Sasuke thought. It was so high up that a normal theif couldn't reach it, even if he was very tall. Perhaps Suigetsu had a chance if he stood on Jugo's shoulders, but the snake didn't feel like giving it to him. As soon as he reached the pole, he spiraled his way up to the window and leapt down without even looking where in the dark room he'd land. Being so small, it didn't bother him much, though he landed slightly painfully onto the lino floor. His stomach dropped as he saw how close he was to skewering himself on one of the knives sticking out of a cutlery holder on the bench. It was lucky he'd cleared it – that'd be a horrible way to go. He tasted the air, but no one was around except for his accomplices. There didn't appear to be security cameras around either, so he felt comfortable to change back into his human form. Quietly picking up the cutlery and turning the knives to face down instead of up, he tapped his earpiece.

"Can you guys hear me?" he murmured, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

"Yeah," came the voice of Suigetsu. "You need to go to the back door just at the other end of the room and check to see if it's been rigged."

"Requesting radio silence." Like hell he was letting them in. Pulling this off by himself would show Madara that he didn't belong with this 'team'. Outside, the white haired boy was fuming.

"Why the hell does he need radio silence?" he hissed, trying to peer through the window, but it was far too high above his head. "Fuck that fucking bastard. He's going to screw up this mission." Sasuke smirked. The door wasn't rigged anyway. His feet didn't make a sound as he crept around the dim room to the kitchen door. Thank god for cleanliness. The door swung open silently on its freshly oiled hinges and he patted out into the crisp, white hallway. Zaku's room was only down the end of the hallway on the left. Moving on the balls of his feet, he half ran down to the closed door and pressed his ear up to the door. For a moment there was silence, and the raven felt his chest tighten. Finally, there was a soft snore and he relaxed. Even from outside the doorway, the stench of ancient bags of chips and dirty laundry filled his nostrils, almost making him want to wretch. It was difficult to imagine that anyone actually lived in that filth, but the entire room was probably a biological miracle anyway. Heart picking up speed in his chest, the raven placed a pale hand lightly on the doorhandle. With a tiny movement of his wrist, there was a soft click, and the door swung gently open. Still not moving in, Sasuke waited for just a second to make sure the target was still snoring peacefully. That guy Jugo had the chloroform on him, but the snake had a different plan for knocking out his victim, as he slunk into the dark netherworld that was Zaku's bedroom. This plan was going to be a lot more exciting. It wasn't fear that was making his blood shoot around his body in bolts – this was exhilarating. He needed more. Licking his lips, the now red orbs darted around the room feverishly, before landing on a bundle of clothes piled up on a chair. Quickly snatching up a scarf, he finally made his way across the dark room, to a barely visible lump. In all honesty, even standing right up next to the bed, it was too dark for Sasuke to see where Zaku actually was, but as he squinted and his eyes adjusted more, he could make out the bastard's horrible mug. The snake sniggered at the fuck lying on his tummy, with the back of his head open for a sharp strike. Naturally, the raven knew the spot exactly.

"This – you hideous speck," he murmured, raising his elbow like a club, "this is for all the times you called me 'Barbie-face'."

"Radio silence. Fucking radio silence." Outside the manor, Suigetsu was still foaming out the mouth. "We're the ones with the chloroform. He's going to make a scene in there and get caught, then he'll turn us in and then we're fucked. Why the hell couldn't he walk a few metres to the back door and just let us in?" Frustration taking over, he clapped his hand to his forehead. "Oh god…"

"Suigetsu – shut up for a second," Jugo muttered, shaking the boy's shoulder and shifting his gaze down to the door. "I can hear something." Straight away, the white-haired boy froze. There it was. A very soft, distant scraping sound. Both of them were waiting with abated breath. Anything could be making that noise. It could be Sasuke about to burst out with a struggling hostage, but it could also be someone loading rounds into the barrel of a shotgun. Suddenly, they both tensed up like springs as the door finally swung open to reveal… a guy and a sack.

"There are people who batton seals that I like more than you, you fucking wanker," he groaned, staring at the completely-still-person-shaped-duvet-cover that was draped over the young man's shoulders. Stomping heavily over to them, the raven gave them both a quick peek at the lump inside.

"Jealousy is an ugly emotion, and only for the weak," Sasuke told him, letting Jugo take the weight off his back. "Let's leave before someone notices he's gone." Shaking his head and shooting daggers at the snake, the ursurped kidnapper stumbled into the lead back down the bank. It was a struggle to get the weight back up the loose hillside, but with the viper in tail pushing it from behind they managed to get onto the flat in impressive time. Not wasting any more, they all made a dash for the campervan.

"Open her up right now, Karin. We've got him," Suigetsu puffed into his earpiece. Light poured onto the street as the door almost spontaneously swung open, and he slipped inside. As Jugo ran up with the sack, he was given help from all sides to haul it in, and before Sasuke even manage to shut the door, the redheaded girl had already began to drive, and the redheaded man was removing Zaku from the duvet while Suigetsu was diving into a large cupboard supply of masking tape and rope.

"Fantastic work, guys!" the girl was enthusing happily as their wheels found the highway. "That was probably the quickest, slickest job you've ever managed to pull, ever!" Sasuke actually could not force back a smirk at that, especially when he caught his rival's eye.

"He's waking up." Two sets of eyes shot over to Jugo and Zaku, and the snake (somewhat disappointed at how he hadn't managed to knock him out for longer), before seeing anything else, saw an opportunity to gloat at and pick on the bully. Smirk on his pale lips, he crouched next to the blinking, confused face and slapped it gently.

"Awake so soon, are we? You were out cold before – probably had a glance at a mirror and blacked out, with a mug like that," he jeered, flicking the disoriented boy's forehead.

"S… Uchiha?" blubbered Zaku, his eyes phasing between being droopy and fearful. "Where… Is this some kind of joke? Ow…" Squirming slightly as he tried to rub his neck, the captive flinched as the other's terrifyingly smug face twisted into a snarl.

"I don't joke, you cunt," swore the snake, pure poison practically spitting out from his mouth. "You're tied up and being taken to a dark, scary complex where you'll be dumped in a dingy cell until your folks give the Akatsuki whatever they happen to want."

"Cell? Akatsuki? My parents don't want to give those criminals anything," Zaku gasped, just as he felt his throat tighten in fear. Sasuke rolled his eyes as they ran over a bump with a small thud.

"Idiot. They don't have to 'want' to give anything. The Akatsuki will take anything they want. We'll take it." Suddenly, the soporific boy's eyes shot open, and he turned to gape at the gloating raven.

"You're just the sort to join the Akatsuki, Uchiha! Monsters… All of you! All you Uchihas are lowlife scum." The snake's eyes narrowed slightly, and he drew away with a dark glare. "And of course you'd look at me like that. Your whole bastard family thinks they can walk all over everyone else, you conceited pricks." Just softly, as his pulse began to rise, Sasuke felt the corner of his lip twitch, and his fist coil up into a rock. "Get as angry as you want. I hate you, Barbie-face, and your evil father and your ponce of a brother."

"Ponce?" the raven snorted, in total rebuttal. Now Zaku's eyes were narrow too, and menacing, as he lay slumped against the seat covered in unnecessary amounts of rope.

"Yes, he is a ponce, driving around in his Corvette. He called me a pleb! Me! My father is a chief of fucking staff and he called me a pleb." Struggling not to grind his teeth flat, the snake gave a sharp, disapproving hiss.

"You aren't technically a pleb by class, but you definitely act like one," he retorted.

"Oh, please, Barbie-face. You think class is so fucking important, don't you? Well the lot of you are pathetic aristocrats with your fingers stuck up your own asses." Their argument was getting so tense and volatile that neither of the participants had noticed how quiet the campervan had become, but as Sasuke's face began to burn red and his chest began to heave, Jugo finally stepped in.

"Okay, pal. You're in a hostage situation, so watch your mouth – in fact…" The young man reached over his shoulder and grabbed the masking tape from the bench, before dangling it in front of Zaku's nose. "I'll have to tape it up for your own safety." Rubbing the pad of him thumb along his teeth, the raven looked around at the others darkly. Suigetsu was sulking in the farthest seat with his face squished against the table, and Karin was focused on her driving, while Jugo was busy ripping off a piece of masking tape to cover the victim's mouth. _Is it wrong that the idea of killing one of you excites me? I am, after all, a killing machine. I'm a predator that can destroy things seemingly far more dangerous than me. _Sasuke smirked at the now completely incapacitated boy. _If I became powerful enough to decide on who could live and who could die, I would be a deity. Who's in control now, father?_ Thinking about power felt more invigorating than ever. It made his spine chatter and his breath catch in his mouth. There was no one in the world that he would ever give the right to control him again. Was everything moving more slowly around him? He couldn't explain what he wanted anymore, let alone justify his means. All he wanted now was anything he could get, and his goal was becoming harder to remember. Worst of all, he was rapidly losing the will to control himself. _You are drowning me._

"Ts!" Sasuke hissed suddenly, jolting upright. His whole body was beginning to tremble. Wide eyes stared down at his shivering fingers, as it dawned on him that he'd dozed off again. "Voices…" Voices that weren't part of his thoughts.

"Are you Sasuke? I can get Suigetsu to drive if you need a cuddle," Karin called, giving the young man a quick but definite smile.

"Drop dead," the raven sighed. To his disappointment, this only made her giggle.

"Loosen up, will you? I think someone needs some sleep." There was a snort from Suigetsu and a muffled snigger from Zaku, but the snake himself chose not to react. Without letting sleep take him over this time, he let his eyes seal themselves shut and tried to focus on his powers. He wanted them to be crisper and clearer in his mind, without activating them. As he meditated, the world around him seemed to move more quickly, and when he finally opened his eyes again it was only because the girl was announcing their arrival at the base. Still, things seemed to be moving a little faster than usual, as they calmly led the captive (now blindfolded) through the darkness to the Akatsuki syndicate's front door. Sasuke was more focused on the fact that his fingertips were tingling, and that his head was buzzing due to lack of sleep.

"Hn. See you later, Zaku-_kun_," the raven snorted, waving him away as Jugo took the responsibility of finding him a comfortable room. Zaku just rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time he'd been in this kind of situation, but it was the first time he'd had to put up with being in this situation with someone he utterly loathed.

"Great. I'm going home," sighed the white-haired boy, sending the raven a chilly, sideways look. "Bye." Not bothering to grace him with an answer, Sasuke shoved his hands into his pockets and took a sharp left, not too sure of where he was going. This facility wasn't huge, but it was fairly maze-like.

"Hey Sasuke," the girl called after him. "We need to go and report to Madara. Can you help me? You too, Suigestu."

"Sure," they mumbled, as the snake turned back to her on the balls of his feet. Together they walked up the straighter corridor that led to the large storeroom at the back of the building. Normally if people waited around in that room for the shadow he'd eventually show up. Strangely, as they approached the end of the corridor, the normally closed door was ajar.

"That damn Uchiha Fugaku," came a sudden voice.

"Wait," the snake hissed, blocking the others with his arm.

"He always uses us to do his dirty work. That bastard." Gesturing to the others to stay quiet, he edged closer to the doorframe. Clearly Madara was ranting to someone about his father, which meant more information. "He's gotten so cocky lately – his son's on a mission at the moment to kidnap one of the Abumis. He just gave us this job to stop them from trying to buy back some shares he took from them." So that's what this is about, the raven thought to himself as he remembered the years of hostility he'd received from the Abumis. "If it was anyone's problem other than Fugaku's I wouldn't have minded sending someone. I can understand why his family hates him so much – mind you all the Uchihas are scum. Sasuke would probably be upset if he knew that he was essentially working for his father, but I don't really care what he thinks. That idiot will never achieve anything, no matter what Orochimaru tells him."

"What?" The unintentional gasp echoed through the poorly timed silence as though Sasuke had screamed at the top of his lungs. Suddenly, shock was pouring through him so fast that he didn't even care that he'd been caught eavesdropping. Somewhere in the darkness, he felt the shadow moving toward him. His knees began to tremble, as he staggered into the black. "Sc-scum? What has my father been doing? You…" As the shock in his system began to tighten in his chest, he realised that his teeth were clenched and his breath was shallow. "You… How dare you laugh at me? I am trying to cleanse the Uchiha name, and you set me up to work for filth like him?"

"Oh dear. It would seem somebody isn't very happy," the voice sniggered. This only made the boy's body seize with anger even more, and his fists abruptly clamped down. "Is it because I used you? Because I lied? Just grow up."

"Shut the hell up!" the viper roared.

"Sasuke," Karin pleaded, dashing forward and touching his shoulder, but the raven ignored her. His entire body was having twitches, and his mind was filling with deep red.

"You make me sick. I want to kill you so badly that it hurts. I won't be mocked by anyone, and that includes the leader of the Akatsuki." With a sharp pant, the raven waited edgily to be pounced on by a fleet of guards, but there was only silence followed by a tiny sigh.

"Deal with this for me, Pein." His breath hitched. Something moist was beginning to form at his brow. A soft pur radiated out of the chilling black. Honestly, for the life of him he had no idea how to transform like that monster known as Pein could, but if he was ever to learn, it was time. "Will you stand down, Sasuke? I can forget what you've said here, and you can get some rest. Otherwise I will have Pein dismember you, and believe me when I say your powers are far from matching his." Sasuke stared down at the floor, his breath still heavy.

"I won't stand down. You have no idea how strong I am," he hissed, the corners of his lips curling.

"If you do this he could ruin your beautiful body," Karin gasped, very single-mindedly.

"Rip him to shreds," sneered Suigetsu.

"Hn." In this situation, anything could happen, but the snake had long since lost the concept of rational thinking. He didn't need to think. In a split second, he threw himself forward and disappeared into a writhing mass of flesh. "Show yourssself, Pein! Let me sssink my teeth into you." It was the first time he'd managed a transformation of a sensible size. Feeling trapped in a room with an enormous, violent snake and dangerous criminals, Suigetsu made his move to leave, but Karin stopped him.

"Where are you going, freak?" she sneered, pulling him back by his arm. "We have to watch this!" Suddenly, there was an orange flash of fur as Pein finally made his presence known. As a mass of werefox leapt out of nowhere heading fast for the snake's head, Sasuke anticipated its leap and swung his rope like body away. Straight away he was coiled up and lunged to bite the fox, but it leapt up into the air like its legs were made of springs. However every time the beast tried to pounce onto him, he found the agility to avoid it, although he still couldn't land any of his own attacks. Even in a faster body, he couldn't get anywhere in fight. Suddenly the two lunged at the same time and their skulls collided, and the fox was thrown against the snake's chest. Rearing away, the dazed snake shrank down into his human form.

"This isn't working," he muttered, reaching into his boot and pulling out a pair of kunai. Even as the panting, drooling mass of monter before struck fear in his heart, Sasuke felt comfortable in the familiar body. It didn't matter if he was using his _powers_ or not. He was still strong.

"This is daisy cutting," the husky voiced beast snorted, its glowing eyes narrowing. "Change back now, or are you wanting a quick death?" But as the stoic boy raised his knives with a menacing hiss, the fox gave a short huff. "Very well – if that's how you want it." Suddenly, the raven screamed as something slammed across his chest and sent him skidding into the wall on his back.

"Sasuke!" Karin cried, moving to help, but Suigetsu held her back.

"Don't be an idiot. You don't even know him," he told her angrily, as the snake got back to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip with the back of his hand.

"Shit you're fast, Pein," growled the viper. Somehow the thin black lips seemed to smirk, and the beast let out a satisfied puff. "But you aren't as quick as a friend of mine." For a second, Pein seemed confused, but a sharp pain caused him to flinch and cast his eyes down his own chest.

"Hr… You sneaky little…" Wincing in pain, the viper raised his second kunai and slowly began to limp forward.

"Snake?" Dark blood matting the white fur on the fox's chest pattered to the floor in thick drips. The reptile licked his lips.

"That's right, Sasuke…" For a moment, the raven hesitated at the shadow's encouragement, but only for a moment. "Finish him off."

"First," drawled the viper, walking right up to the shaking fox and wrapping his fingers around the bloodsoaked handle of his kunai, "I'm getting my knife back." Pein howled in agony as Sasuke ripped it out of his chest. Still standing back by the doorway, the girl's heart was pounding painfully in her chest as the animal collapsed. He couldn't really kill, could he? It was possible he did that sort of thing all the time. Karin shuddered in self disgust. To think she was so hot for him earlier – now he looked hideous, as he lowered his knife to the dying animal's throat.

"So you've never killed anyone before, have you Sasuke? Now's your chance to prove your strength." As a smile spread across the snake's lips, the redhead's heart all but leapt out of her chest. So it really was his first time to kill. Before she could stop herself, she was running toward him.

"Don't, Sasuke! M…Madara-sama said you had a goal, didn't he?" she cried, grabbing his knife wielding arm and trying to pull it away, however the raven stubbornly refused to move.

"Karin! What are you doing?" Suigetsu yelled, though his feet weren't letting him chase her.

"Murder isn't going to help you!" Struggling against her, the snake tried to keep his kunai on the fox's throat, but the girl was persistent.

"Don't interfere!" he roared, ripping around and finally lashing out at her with his knife.

"Karin! No!" The sound of footsteps failed to reach Sasuke's ears as a sudden rush from below him caught his attention.

"Shit," he growled. His eyes scoured the room, but Pein was nowhere to be seen and blood had managed to trail all over the room.

"You bastard!" The raven's eyes snapped around to see Suigetsu cradling the foolish girl in his arms. Blood was seeping out of a deep slash that he'd managed to lay across her abdomen. Her eyes were closed, but she was still breathing. The white-haired boy gently shook her. "Please wake up. Please." Suddenly, a cold fear froze the snake's blood as realised that Suigetsu probably in fact… cared about that stupid girl.

"I didn't mean to…" As the anger he'd felt only moments ago began to evaporate, he took a few shy steps toward them.

"Leave us alone!" gasped the boy, his arms visibly tightening around the unconscious Karin. When he looked into the violet eyes, the raven felt his chest burn to see so much disgust.

"Uchiha-san!" Sasuke whipped around as the furious sound of Orochimaru's voice filled his ears. "You were about to kill Pein!"

"Master," said the raven with a brief bow.

"Idiot! You know that for you to gain the ultimate power your father's blood _must_ be the first blood you spill," growled the creature, his slit-like eyes even narrower than usual.

"I… I hadn't known," the snake muttered. Behind him he was aggrieved to hear that Suigetsu was still calling Karin's name. Shaking his head, the man waved a dismissive hand.

"Well, you didn't succeed in killing him. Nevertheless, you and I are leaving this complex for the time being – enough time has been wasted bowing to Madara." Straight away, the boy gave a grateful nod. "I'm going to help you reach your goal, and once that is done you are free to do as you will."

"Thank you, Master," the snake muttered, throwing a quick glance behind him. "Suigetsu – hurry up and get her some medical attention. It's no use waiting for her to bleed to death."

"Like hell I'd take orders from you," Suigetsu yelled, but nevertheless he scooped her up carried her wedding-style out the door. Despite his initial guilt, Sasuke couldn't help but feel pleased that he had found the nerve to do that. It would soon be time to kill his father, and he'd be prepared.

"Let's go." _Help me._ "Shut up."

**I wish I could tell you how awesome this is going to be, but that would be spoiling it. I should just hurry up and write then, ay? ;)**

**Still I am almost finished - only five more chapters have been planned with a possibility of me adding a bonus chapter if I ever miss this story.**

**I promise that I write faster when I have more reviews, so please review this story/chapter if you liked it.**

**I know the action bit was quick but it is meant to be as such. Blah.**

**Gonna play pokemon now.**

**Bye.**

**Love you**

**3 xxx**

**review.**


	16. Delirium

**Check it out. I've totally done a really long chapter in reasonable time. Bam.**

**UPDATE: Someone said that this chapter wasn't appearing. It seems fine from this end before and after resubmitting it. I think the problem may have been that it was accessed straight after submition. It can take time for to fully release new updates, and that may have been the problem. If you're reading this, then it's working now =)**

16 – Delirium

It had been a while now since Naruto felt useful. That quick word Kakashi had with him about bringing in more people to help out made him feel even worse – like he was possibly bringing more trouble to the SRT than good. Worst of all was when he told them about his encounter with Sasuke. They were infuriated – even Neji was close to yelling at him. The snake had gone looking for him, and was captured as a result. Nevertheless, there was nothing the fox could do to contain him except beg, and that hadn't worked. Of course, the others didn't see it that way – but the blond was beginning to realise that if they were ever to get him back, then Sasuke would have to at least be a little bit willing to return. After a shouting contest that could've shattered glass in the park, the fox was sent storming off by himself. If they wanted to treat him like he was good-for-nothing then like hell he was going to help them. With deteriorating respect and positive attitudes all around, the next three weeks became difficult with the blond involved. Someone would always snap and end up accusing him of making things worse and again, someone would leave.

"What do they know?" he sniffed, his heart feeling more sensitive and hurt than usual. "All that scheming and planning… Sasuke isn't back yet, so what good is it even doing?" All that time he'd been telling himself that it was going to be okay, and that the raven would be safe. But things were only getting worse, and he was only getting sicker, while Naruto had to wait for the others to do… whatever they were 'supposed' to be doing. "Where is the bastard..?" Quickly tapping something into the search bar on his laptop and hitting enter, his eyes shot down the list of sites that appeared, but nothing seemed to have much to do with what he was looking for. So he wasn't on the net. Well of course he wasn't. It wasn't as though a member of Akatsuki would just have detailed records on themselves posted around on in plain public view. "Daaaaad!"

"Whaaaaat?" came the mocking voice, floating up the stairs. "Come downstairs if you want to chat, Naruto." With a grumpy huff, he slapped the screen shut and leaned across to rest it on the table, before pulling himself up and plodding across to the stairs. The sounds of a tennis match could be heard thundering from the sound system, but the fox's voice could travel well.

"I need to ask a really, really big favour of you." Naturally, there was no immediate response, and the blond bit his lip, glancing down at his frowning father. His eyes were still fixed to the screen and his mouth was pulled to one side.

"Yes," he eventually said, as Naruto made his way to sit down on the couch with him. "Sasuke's disappearance? We're already doing our best to find him, and at the moment there isn't much we know that you don't. You know the Akatsuki – they know how to cover their tracks."

"I need sightings," the fox said, his burning blue eyes cutting into the side of Minato's head. A flicker of disappointment crossed the man's face as a player stumbled for the ball and just managed to fling it back across the court in a stable path. "Not sightings of Sasuke – I know people can be unreliable. What I want are police sightings of Orochimaru. You know, that teacher who turned out to be Akatsuki."

"Okay…" Minato let out a great sigh and dragged his hand down his face. "I can't pretend that I know what you're going through, but it must be awful, and I sympathise. But there are political reasons that the police can't just go and interfere with that syndicate, as you know. I can't help you now, Naruto. The police force may be good, but we don't have the resources to bring them down yet – and I'm not trying for the sake of your friendship with Sasuke."

"Yeah, I know! I know all of that – that's not what I'm asking for!" the fox snapped. Finally, the man's eyes shot to the blond's and his hands reached to grip Naruto's shoulders.

"That is my point. I know you well enough to know that you are going to use the information I give you to find Orochimaru and do god know's what. I am losing my wife, and I won't lose you too, alright?" Somehow, Naruto couldn't tell if his father's eyes were narrowed in anger or in misery. "That's why… I have to forbid you from seeking Orochimaru, Sasuke or the syndicate. You need to leave it. Focus on passing your exams and forget all this, and I promise that things will resolve themselves." Of course Minato would want him to leave it, and to forget Sasuke. But still, the blond couldn't help but feel his hands go weak and his eyes widen in surprise at his father's lack of understanding. He was so used to being on the same page as Minato, that he couldn't bear it. The truth inside him felt like now… it had to come out.

"Dad… you don't understand" he tried to say, but it barely escaped his lips as a rasp. "In my whole, entire life… I've never been without Sasuke. Even when I hated him we were still together. The thing is…"

"Clearly you love him," the older blond finished sadly. It was easy to see in his son's blush, and the build up. "I'm still not telling you where Orochimaru is."

"You know?" Naruto gasped, half in horror and half in amazement. "And you know? Y-yes I do, and yes you are! If you could save Mum you would, but you can't. The difference is I can do something about Sasuke."

"You have no idea of what they're capable of," sighed Minato, though his eyes were slightly widened. It made him feel slightly miffed to realise that after all this time of playing boyish video games, rugby and completely unfeminine things… his son was actually quite unmasculine.

"But I'm your son. If they kill me they'll have your wrath to deal with," the fox reasoned desparately. "Dad, please don't be just another obstacle. I'm going after him no matter what, so you may as well help me." Got him, he thought triumphantly as the man's face fell.

"Do you have a deathwish? I'll always regret it if I help you." Despite these words, Naruto just shook his head.

"Not if I get him back. I know the consequences of this so there's nothing you can say to me that is going to put me off now." With a sharp snort, Minato leaned forward and snatched up the remote, jabbing the mute button and silencing the television.

"Mount Sukai, Ashikaga. You'll need to remember everything Kakashi taught you, Naruto." When all he received from his careless son was a short nod, Minato quickly rose to his feet and pinned the boy to the couch by his shoulders. "Listen to me. You need to be ready to dodge bullets if you have to. Even more importantly, you need to be prepared for the reality that Sasuke can't come back." This reality was one Naruto knew that in spite of his father's words, he could never face, let alone accept. If it came down to it, the young man knew he'd drag the raven's dead corpse back before he allowed his friend to become a monster. It felt justified, after all the terrible crimes that had been committed against him by the poisonous creature, that this time Sasuke's life should belong to Naruto. The blond, in all his naivety, gave everything he could give to his old friend – his kindness, his respect, his loyalty, his body, trust and his whole heart. There was nothing that the fox could ever deny him except this, No matter what, Naruto could never allow Sasuke to hurt himself.

"Whatever happens, don't send me any back-up," he growled, brushing away his father's hand. "Even if I can't handle this on my own, I can't allow anyone else to get hurt because of my manically depressed friend."

"I'm not making any promises." It was hesitant, but Minato still managed to calmly release his son. It had always been easy to refuse a whim, yet this was clearly far more than just a whim.

Sasuke shook his head as he stared into the bare fridge, a hand resting on his stomach. When he joined the Akatsuki he didn't realise that he'd have to go hungry so often. It was nicer at home where he got any meal he wanted whenever he wanted it. In the past week all he'd eaten was rice and chicken once a day, now that he'd moved to some hikers hut in the mountains. It was only that morning that there was actually nothing in the fridge. He wondered if a lack of food was what made Orochimaru so grouchy. It would be no use complaining to him though – the snake-like human had little tolerance for listening to other people's problems. "Hn… what am I doing?" he mumbled, when he realised he'd clamped his teeth down on the fridge shelf. Training had been even more intense than ever, since he had met Naruto in the alley nearly one month ago. It must be time soon, he thought. His excitement was only making his tummy grumble, especially when he remembered what Orochimaru told him a while ago – that he was nearly ready to face his father. So apparently he needed to defeat Fugaku on the eve of the full moon in order to properly ascend, but in all honesty he hadn't been paying attention to when that day might be. He didn't want the heavy dread of knowing. "Hn… I'd better do the shopping myself, then." Luckily he was never short of cash.

Busing all the way out on the hour long ride to the mountains north of Tokyo city was far from preferable for the fox, but of course Minato wouldn't provide transport for a mission that he far from approved of. It was stuffy in the bus. The air was thick with heat and sweat, managing to cloud over his mind. Naruto needed to be on the ball if he was to slip the carpet out from under Sasuke's feet – the carpet being Orochimaru. Watching the cars zooming past was barely adequate distraction from his fears, and weren't helping to keep him awake either. Regardless, when the bus finally reached Ashikaga township, the sight of the mountains looming in the distance made his body shiver with energy when he thought of the hike. It was stifling outside, but nothing the blond wasn't used to, and as he wandered about the town, looking for a place to hide and transform into a fox he didn't even bother to take off his coat. Besides, it'd be windy where he was going. Finally, he spotted a narrow gap between two buildings, where he could just slip between and shrink down into a bristly furred fox. As he trotted back out, his amber eyes twinkling up at surprised strangers. "Cute! It's a little fox. Doesn't it have beautiful fur?" Beautiful fur… somehow that made him slightly uneasy, even if it was flattering and he picked up his pace. He may be an object of mythology and religion, but he was still game for a bloke with a gun and a wife with a taste for draping dead bodies over her shoulders. Tongue flapping out of his mouth, he broke into a run with his eyes on the mountains. Somehow, he had to find out which one was Mount Sukai, and then he'd have to get all the way to the top. But this was going to make it far easier. A figure was leaning against the counter of an icecream stall, and like Naruto this person clearly hadn't bothered to take off his layers either. In fact, his hood was up over his head. Either it was someone from the mountains, someone who didn't want to be seen, or both. It only took a glimpse of his pale white hand reaching to take the enormous chocolate icecream for the fox to know that he was well on the right track.

"Do you know where I can find a convenience store?" he heard the young man ask, as he slunk back into the shadows. Having people yelling 'fox' would possibly blow his cover.

"There's one just around that corner," the wrinkled lady replied, drawing the dark eyes dangerously close to Naruto's hiding place under a cart. Fortunately, the glazed orbs didn't notice him crouching behind the wheel, and the boy walked straight around him, more interested in catching the icecream droplets with his tongue than keeping his eye on things around him. Closing his eyes with a breath of relief, the stealthy fox darted after the figure, keeping solely to the shadows.

"Oh my god." The fox watched in confused fascination as the boy began to eat down the chocolatey icecream faster and faster, and his ears twitched as he caught the small sounds of pleasure. While icecream was renowned for being tasty, Naruto couldn't help but be slightly creeped out by just how much the hooded figure had enjoyed it. The whole thing – cone and all – was ancient history before they had even reached the shop. With a soft yawn, the fox settled down under a parked car as the boy disappeared inside the automatic doors. It was hard to be excited to see Sasuke again when he knew that he was detested. The raven wasn't today's target anyway. A small huff burst from his snout as his eyes caught sight of the bakery next to him. So that's what was making his stomach rumble. Even when he was bloated, the smell of food always made Naruto hungry. He'd taught himself to ignore it, because when he was little it often meant he'd eat his own body weight in noodles, which wasn't very healthy. Just the smell of Sasuke made his mouth water a little, but this was another thing he had to ignore. This mission needed to be serious. After five minutes of hoping that the car above him wouldn't suddenly fill with people and drive away, the figure finally emerged from the store with a bag of groceries in each hand. The fox's sensitive nose told him that they contained milk, soap, toothpaste, and omusubi with okaka and tomatoes. Oh and something that smelt strange, like metallic pills – probably magnesium that Sasuke had to take because he drank too much and didn't eat enough vegetables. Irresponsible, stupid, over-emotional, pathetic Sasuke. These words and more were pouring irritably through his mind as he tiptoed after the boy. What only made him more irritable was the fact that after another five minutes of wandering around after the figure, they only ended up at another bus-stop. The fox found himself parked on his butt under the seat, right between the boy's legs, though the scent was so strong here that he found himself crawling away. It didn't take long for the bus to appear, and when it did the small creature had little difficulty jumping onto the bumper on the back with a couple of children, who both seemed perfectly happy to hitch a ride with a bristly fox. Every single stop, though, he had to crane his head around to make sure that Sasuke wasn't leaving the bus. One ear flicked as the little girl tried to touch it with her finger. He found himself cursing Minato for this, even though he wasn't actually psychically linked to the children on the bus. Every time there was a bump, the small animal found itself scrabbling to stay on, but as they hit the state highway the road started to smooth out and the bus began to move a lot more quickly too. With a sad little wave, the girl and her brother hopped off the back at the first stop into the countryside. Tired, amber eyes watched the flickering effect of grapevines shooting past outside. It wasn't very far into the mountains, but far from town when finally, the hooded figure was the one who climbed down onto the side of the road with his groceries and a sad sigh. He was looking up at a terrifingly tall mountain that was high enough to make the fox's paws tingle. Hopping down just before the bus pulled out once again, he made a dash for the bushes with his eyes watching the raven as he pulled down his hood. The sight made his breath catch, but not in the awe he wanted to feel. Stone cold eyes prowled for whatever had rustled, though he couldn't see through the dense bushes. The corners of his lips were downturned and his features were hollow. If anything, Sasuke didn't look healthy – he looked like an ex-drug addict. Orochimaru was making him like this. With a dodgy sounding cough, the young man forgot the sound in the bushes and began to walk tiredly up a path that led up the forested hill. Now this was all the fox needed to know. There was no point following the snake any longer. Clambering off through the thicket, he made his way to the treeline. As soon as he was well out of sight, his body twisted and expanded until he was a great, panting mass of fox.

"Bet I can beat you up the hill, teme," he growled, his powerful eyes focusing on the shape of Sasuke stomping up the trail. With a snort that stripped the leaves off the plants around him, he let his powerful limbs begin to work, and he pounded up the hillside, loosely following the direction of the path. At first, he only had to dash around trees and under low-hanging branches and his strong claws gave him a good grip in the loose leaf material. Further up though, the trees began to thin out and he was faced with boulders just lying around in the hillside. Gritting his teeth, he bounded as high as he could and easily cleared the small cliffs he was encountered with. It was tiring, but he was almost at the end of the path – he must be, now that he was coming out toward the peak. Meanwhile, far further down the track, Sasuke was deep in thought. His brow was knitted together in concentration. Thinking seemed painful nowadays, and he felt so tired all the time. Still, he needed to figure things out – like how he was going to murder Fugaku, and what he was going to have to do about Itachi. Perhaps it'd be best to use his venom to kill his father. It would be easy, and fitting, but it would be a slow, agonising death. Crushing him would involve more sick adrenaline, which the raven honestly didn't even want to think about. Shooting him would be impossible, as he didn't own a gun, but he did carry around kunai so stabbing was a possibility. The chances of the murder being straightforward and easy were slim, so perhaps trying to predict the outcome would be fruitless. He'd need to be prepared for whatever might happen. As for Itachi, the young raven wasn't even sure what to do about him. If he couldn't force his brother to stand down with threats, then he would have to kill him, and that would break Sasuke's heart a little. Suddenly, he paused as he stared up at the rocky outcrops further up the mountain. He could have sworn he saw a very large movement up there.

"Shit," growled the beast, as it looked down at the shattered boulder he'd unintentionally dislodged from the cliff. He knew that he'd be receiving scowls right now from the trees around him. Just as he turned to make another bound, he finally spotted it – a small tramping hut nestled in a small groove carved out on the peak of the mountain. It was just below the knife like edge in a tiny scoop of a cave, to keep it well sheltered from the wind. And above that, standing on the peak of the mountain was a tall, slim man. "There you are." Despite the climb, his powerful body was still trembling with energy as he bounded up the mountain, heading straight for Orochimaru. His body was climbing so quickly that wind was howling past his ears, and the creature perched on the top of the mountain didn't even turn around before the the beast leapt up behind him with heavy breath. On the other side, the peak was far more sloping that he had expected – but that was good. He needed more room to knock this guy around. "Orochimaru!" he roared, his fur rising up all over his body. Slowly, the man turned, but his slanted eyes seemed calm and he looked almost humoured as he came eye to eye with Naruto.

"Uzumaki. I thought you'd appear eventually. Unfortunately, if you've come to recover your friend you are far too late," he drawled, as the furious beast shrank down into his human form. "Thanks to my training, he is much too powerful to care for things as insignificant as you. He is the strongest power I have laid my hands on and I am not simply giving that power back."

"In my presence," boomed the blond, his whiskers shivering and his eyes full of hate, "don't you dare talk of Sasuke as if he belongs to you!" With every cell in his body, the fox wanted to beat the smugness out of him. Seeing such anger, the snake-like being began to smirk.

"If you or any of his friends had payed the slightest bit of attention to him in the first place he wouldn't be quite so twisted, but he is. It's because of that that I can use him now and take his life tonight." Now the blond was so furious that he was actually short of breath.

"You'd kill him?" he panted, wiping some sweat off his brow. Sweeping his hands behind his back, the man took a casual step forward.

"Someone like him is no use to anybody. Even with all the power in world, he's just a volatile mess of insanity." Something close to pleasure sparked in Orochimaru's serpentine eyes at the ferocious reactions he was receiving from the fox. "His physical capacity is staggering, but his mind is so weak. I enjoy messing with people's heads, but he was already like putty when I found him. In fact, he's perfect. I can use him for what I need and then do the world a favour by terminating him."

"That's enough!" shouted the blond, as a wave of red fur began to appear on his body. "Sasuke shouldn't be put in a position like that!" Naruto's voice was rapidly becoming more of a growl as he became more and more fox-like. "You don't know anything about him, so you shut the hell up!" Not able to hold himself back any longer, the shivering beast belted out a long, terrible roar and threw himself teeth first at the man, whose own form was rapidly becoming more snake-like. Suddenly, the fox drew away as venomous fangs from the emerald monster lashed out at him. Slithering forward, Orochimaru tried again but Naruto used his enormous paws to box away the flat headed reptile.

"Who taught you thesssse tacticsssss?" hissed the creature, its tongue flickering from its lips. "Perhapsss I chosssse the wrong target after all. I wouldn't mind having my new body being a change from the usssual sssssnake, but it'ssss too late now."

"What… do you _mean_?" the fox growled back, amber eyes fixed on the monster as he circled around him.

"Jusssst imagine," he slurred, a smirk pulling on thin lips. "A perfect sssoul inssside a perfect ssspecsssimen."

"You're talking about body-swapping? That's impossible." Orochimaru gave a small chuckle, his deadly eyes gleaming.

"Impossssible? I am four hundred yearssss old. I think you'll find that it'sss quite possssible." No, it's not possible, the fox thought furiously to himself, but his amber eyes were wide in surprise in spite of his skepticism.

"Well four hundred years is enough! I'm killing you right now!" he howled, as he suddenly shot around the snake and flung himself at the monster. A heavy limb smashed across the serpent's throat, forcing out a pained splutter as it was thrown back against a boulder. Golden eyes now sparking wildly, the stronger beast had the emerald snake pinned down, and his teeth were sunk into the hard scales.

"Master!" The fox whipped around just in time to see the bobbing head of Sasuke coming up the path. "I went to town and got some mil…" There was a thud as the grocery bags slipped from his fingers and crashed onto the dirt. Warily, Naruto watched him for signs of sudden movement, but the raven seemed frozen in shock, his wide, dark eyes not even blinking.

"Sasuke!" he rasped, feeling a spark of hope at the boy's hesitancy to intervene. "I know the truth! Orochimaru is-" Just as he about to potentially save Sasuke's life – bring him back for good – he was interrupted by a muffled cry, and the feeling as though two hypodermic needles had just been thrusted into his throat. At first he thought the cry had been the raven's, but the boy's expression seemed too soft, and the fox realised it had been his own. In surprise at what he had done, Naruto slowly turned to stare at the monster behind him, but all he saw was the sky as his knees gave way and he collapsed to the ground. Already he could feel his insides burning and fear pounding through him, but it only lasted seconds before all of a sudden, his universe stopped.

Sasuke himself saw it all – he saw the mirth in his master's eyes as he took his chance to inject venom directly into the fox's jugular. He saw the beast's strangled cry as it almost instantaneously shrank down into the innocent blond form. He saw Naruto crumple to the ground and start to writhe in agony. "Naruto…" Somehow, his feet didn't know what to do, so they just stayed fixed to the spot. Orochimaru was laughing, his eyes fixed on the boy whose eyes had now rolled back in their sockets, and whose mouth was beginning to froth as the venom tore him apart from the inside. So much venom being pumped through his body didn't take long to kill. It was clearly a painful, horrible, meaningless death. Naruto had stopped moving. His skin was grey and he was stiff like a stone Grotesque. Yet to his disgust, the part of the raven that yearned for strength was ecstatic. "Ha," he laughed, taking a few small steps closer to the mangled mess. "Ha ha ha… look at that. I…" That part of him – that part that was starting to make him sick to the core – was now forcing him to laugh as he stared down at the corpse of the kindest, best friend he had ever had. Someone who he knew had come so far out of his way to give his life for somebody that didn't deserve it. This was the corpse of someone who cared for him far too much, and he was standing there laughing at it.

"That's right, Uchiha-san. Laugh at the remains of your old life. Laugh," cooed the man, slowly walking around the body and wrapping his bony fingers around Sasuke's shoulder.

"Ha…" Naruto was dead. Dead and gone. "I… I'll kill you!" Suddenly, a fist flew out for the side of the creature's face, and with a satisfying crack, his master was sent stumbling back, clutching his cheek. Somehow, his body was moving of its own accord, making him immediately sweep in the movement of Orochimaru and follow it up with an uppercut to the chin. "You creep! You stay away from him!" he felt himself screaming, as the man finally began to evade the barrage of fists.

"What do you think you're doing, servant?" spat the older snake, as his limbs suddenly extended like green ropes. Grunting as his arms were suddenly being pulled around his back by independently moving pythons, Sasuke tried to lunge forward, but the snakes were all over him in an instant, completely immobilising his entire body. Struggling in the writhing, hissing cocoon, the boy slowly felt his anger simmering down. Orochimaru, however, seemed far from calm as his slit-like eyes pierced his captive with utmost loathe. "Never disobey me and never undermine my authority over you! Don't forget that I am the one helping you to achieve your goals."

"Yes master," choked the raven, as the vipers pulled tighter around his body. Outwardly, he appeared remorseful of his actions, but inside he was still burning with the rage he felt before.

"Tonight is the eve of the fullmoon, so you will kill your father and ascend." _That's tonight? I have to face him… tonight? Despite my anger that makes me happy. If I manage to ascend or if I die, I can see Naruto in heaven and beg for his forgiveness._ "Until that time you are still my servant and you will not step out of line! That means that I can kill your friends in front of your eyes and you will deal with that! Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes master," he lied, as the bindings started to loosen around him. _I won't forget this, you bastard. _As soon as they had disappeared back into the man's fingers, having heavily trailed away from his shoulders, the boy sank to his knees, gasping for air. Then out of nowhere, a foot collided with his ribs, sending Sasuke flying onto his back with a cry of pain.

"Do not disappoint me again." His entire body was stinging, which was a nice change from being so numb. To his dismay, when he turned his head, his eyes fell on Naruto's cold, empty shell. Blue eyes that were wide with agony had faded to grey, and the normal pink and healthy lips that made Sasuke feel so weak had also lost their colour. If anything, the sound of Orochimaru walking away from him was comforting. It hadn't been long enough for his body to become cold, and the raven shuffled his body closer in hopes that the fox might suddenly burst into life. But of course, he didn't, even as Sasuke slid his fingers through the boy's straw coloured hair and gently pushed shut the eyelids. Something told him he should want to lie there with and cry, but that same feeling that he felt while holding the medallion of ascension seemed to be seeping back into his heart like a barrier to his true feelings. So instead, he shakily climbed to his feet prayed that Naruto's soul would forgive him for his sins, without believing the fox ever really could. Not after all the things he had done.

"Uchiha-san! It's time to go. Just leave him where he is," came the voice of his master from down in the cabin.

"Coming, master," he called back, quickly looking over his shoulder. Only before he left, he knelt down to the fox's body. "Maybe if I see you again, you can finish telling me the truth, you poor usuratonkachi." Even if it was weakness, he felt himself beginning to wish that he could retain at least some feeling.

Since leaving the Akatsuki with Orochimaru their transport had been downgraded considerably, and it was too rough a ride for the tired raven to close his eyes on the journey back into Tokyo. Soon he was going to kill his own father – murder him, in order so that in drinking the man's blood he could prove to his soul that his lineage had been purified. Most importantly, he'd be saving the Uchiha's and all their subordinates and affiliations from ever having to deal with such a horrible man ever again. It only took an hour to drive back to the city, and the whole time Sasuke's mind was black with thoughts. Neither the man nor the boy had said a word since leaving. Clearly, his master's thoughts were fairly focused too – possibly on the ritual that was to come. It wasn't until they had well penetrated the suburban Tokyo that something finally happened, as the car pulled to the side of the road in a perfectly normal street with quiet and normal appartments all around.

"Now Uchiha-san," the man said softly, his thin lips drawn down into a flat line, "this is the moment you have been anticipating for a long time – however it must be performed with as much caution as possible."

"Of course, master." If they were supposed to be doing this cautiously, why couldn't they have had something to eat before leaving?

"Go into the heart of the city alone and do not be seen. We don't want Fugaku's security team to be aware of your presence. He is currently in a meeting with the board of trustees of Uchiha Academy – not in the school but in fact in meeting room two on the thirty-seventh floor of the Izumi Garden Tower. You can get there by catching the metro to Roppongi-itchome Station," he instructed, his eyes narrowed as he tried to include all the details.

"Which line?" Sasuke asked him, fidgeting slightly with the seatbelt.

"Namboku." The boy nodded slowly. That line sounded familiar.

"And the meeting. Should I disrupt it?" For the first time in hours, the same insipid smile returned to his master's lips coupled with a malicious glint in his eye.

"Well of course, Sasuke. I don't doubt someone of your capacity would have very little trouble making them scatter. Once you've cornered your prey, you have all the protection of the Akatsuki to be as violent as you like." Less amused than was intended, the snake let out a small snort before unbuckling his seat belt and opening the door of the car. "I'll find you wherever you go, but don't let the body out of your site."

"Fine," drawled the snake. With that, he climbed straight out of the car, slammed the door shut and started to walk away. It surprised him a little that Orochimaru didn't drive away, but still he continued down the street without looking back. If he was to become a killer, then that man may as well have been on his hit list. Any sort of bond he may have once felt due to the kindness and encouragement initially shown by his master was well severed, especially since seeing… Terrible images of Naruto slowly dying kept passing through his mind. When he chose to descend to an underworld he never planned to drag the fox down with him. Just as he went around the first corner, his heart suddenly turned cold. "Ah!" he gasped, slapping his hands over his eyes as his knees turned to jelly. _You killed him! _The words screamed but the hallucinations screamed louder. His mind flashed with colour as he saw himself standing in darkness with Naruto. "Where… am I?" At first the blond seemed to be beaming at him, but when he felt himself grinning back, blue eyes suddenly went wide with fear. Heart pounding heavily and sweat pouring down his brow, Sasuke slowly looked down and saw a sight that made his stomach curl. His arm – his own arm – was dripping with crimson blood as it impaled the boy directly through the chest.

"Sasuke! Help me!" the fox tried to scream, but the scream became a gurgle as more blood began to bubble out of his mouth.

"Get away from him! Naruto!" With a shiver, the raven's eyes slowly shifted to the voice, and once again his heart stopped. Running toward him with a face red with anger was… "You killed him! This isn't the right thing to do! It's the easiest!" It was his own face that he was staring back at. "You are just like him!"

"Like who?" he yelled back at himself, feeling irritation welling up inside him. Without even realising it, Naruto had disappeared and he was alone with himself on the bank of a river. "Who am I like?" At this, his clone merely sneered back, loathe chilling his onyx eyes.

"Who do you think?" Before Sasuke even knew what was happening, his hands were tightening around the other Sasuke's throat as he pushed the struggling boy further down the river bank.

"Don't… I'll drown," he choked, trying to claw at the strong hands. "You're killing me." His legs were frozen. He blinked. It was late afternoon back in the streets of Tokyo, and he was having an insane conversation with himself. "Ha, ha, ha… ha…" It was hard just trying to steady his breathing, let alone his legs or just his mind. _Oh god… what's happening to me?_ Throwing an angry glance around him, he threw himself forward to land down on soft scales. Whatever just happened to him, he didn't want to think about it. Later he could deal with Naruto's death, and hallucinations and all these complicated emotions, but not yet. A sharp hiss was enough to get his blood pumping. The sooner he got to the Izumi Garden Tower the better. It pained him greatly to admit that he was probably falling to pieces, but the evidence was beginning to get overwhelming. Hearing voices was bad enough, but now this? The black jet shot down the streets in a hurried panic, his eyes narrowed in embarrassment and in self disgust. _I need to ascend! I need to ascend now!_ Before he lost it completely… As he came out onto a busier street, his eyes soon fell on a signpost that pointed in the direction of the station – hopefully one that would easily lead him to the Namboku Tokyo Line. Without even bothering to stay out of sight of the public, he slithered faster as his racing heart began to fill him with a fear he could barely cope with.

"Sn-sn-sn-snake!" a woman screamed, as the bullet shot past her heeled feet. This was followed by several more screams and with a cold jolt, Sasuke realised how foolish he was being – although it was too late to hide now. Zipping around the corner, he finally spotted the station at the end of the street. Trying to skirt along the very rim of the buildings and shops around to avoid more attention, he kept up his rapid pace, but as the number of people around him built up, and his fears began to back him into a corner, the world began to spin around him once again and he froze. It was only a flash. Naruto's blood spilling out over the raven's arm. Cold, stone eyes staring back at him in fear. Then back to the street once again. As cold terror pounded through him, Sasuke wanted to scream, but all he could do was flick his tongue. It wasn't his fault Naruto was killed. He had nothing to do with it. He'd barely been there for ten seconds when Orochimaru killed the fox, and so how could he possibly be to blame? _Oh, you know exactly. _Now the snake was terrified. Things were happening in his head that he couldn't control. He couldn't… Suddenly, a thought hit him out of the blue. It was a cold, hideous thought that set fire to his fear until it finally melted into a sombre sadness. With that thought in his mind, he took a sharp breath and continued toward the station. _If it was my fault that he got dragged into this, then I need to accept responsibility for his death. I have killed Naruto Uzumaki… _Hopefully, once he ended his father's life, there would be no more bloodshed. Once he'd snuck under the barrier, he slipped behind a photobooth and silenty morphed back into his human form. He wondered what Itachi would think of him if he knew what Sasuke was doing, or what he had done. Out of nowhere, the raven found himself concerned with his brother's opinion just like he used to be when he was younger. Thundering down the steps and swinging onto the platform, he chose to stand right by the doors and wait for them to open. Luckily, it was only a few seconds before the ground started to tremble beneath his feet, and the rumbling train hissed to a stop. As the doors fooshed open with a small gust of wind, the snake was shunted to the side by the hullabuloo of people coming home from work. The corner of his lip twitched, and he squeezed into the 'boat' of people nevertheless. It was so full despite the number of people leaving that he still had to stand, so he grabbed onto the pole int the middle of the room and glowered at his reflection in the window. Because his hood was blocking his face from view, he knew people weren't easily going to recognise him. Even if he wasn't covering his face, it seemed unlikely that anyone would remember him from the news. His arm tensed as the acceleration of the metro tried to pull him over, until it reached a constant speed. Gorey, horrifying images of Naruto dying were all pervasive in his thoughts. He glared harder, and his reflection glared back, and Sasuke found himself waiting to see if somehow it would do something unexpected. Three stops later, however, it still hadn't, and the raven climbed out into the Azabu-juban Station.

"I'm close to you now, father," he muttered, sweeping up the station in the direction of the Namboku Line. No one gave him a double take as the hoodie disappeared down another flight of stairs and strode across the last platform he'd need to wait at before reaching his cruel father. There, mingled with his fear and pain, was a sense of excitement. "I've wanted you out of our lives for so long now…" Everything was spinning out of control around him, and he stumbled past another flock of people to clamber onto the train to grab onto a rail. The next stop was Roppongi-itchome Station. He smirked to himself as his mood swinged to a high, and the train rocketed closer to the Izumi Garden Tower – and when the metro finally reached the next stop he almost threw himself out the doors and bounded up the stairs. "Yesss…" _No! _"Yes!" he told himself hungrily, his eyes moving to the elevator at the end of the room. _Please don't do this._ "It's too late now. With Naruto gone, I have nothing to lose." His body was moving so quickly that it was almost a dash for the metal doors, as he jabbed the up button. _Why won't you even listen to your own conscience?_ "Shut up. I'm in control here." There was a pinging sound as the lift reached the ground floor. Sasuke was inside before they'd finished opening. "Come on… thirty-seventh floor... thirty-seventh floor." Clearly the smaller lift wasn't as popular as the larger lift. Only three disgruntled people had to give the raven their looks of disapproval before stepping out into the Station. "Come on, come on..." Second floor… fifth floor… "Come on…" tenth floor… _You can still turn back._ "Come on!" he roared, smashing the button several more times. Twentieth floor… twenty-fourth… _I know you're confused._ More like desperate. "Please, come on," he pleaded. Thirty-fifth floor… "Thirty-seventh!" By the time he leapt out into the actually quite empty and business-like hallway, he was almost gasping for breath. "Ah!" He blinked. Rubbing his eyes and trying to focus himself, he squinted at the door across the corridor. A small plastic label was sitting on the door and it read: 'General Conference Room 2'. The words made his body shudder with anticipation, but nothing like the sound of his own father's voice hitting his ears, as it seeped through the cracks in the door. _This is only going to make things worse._ Ignore it. Footsteps soundless on the navy blue carpet, the raven slithered across to the door, wrapping his supple fingers around the doorhandle. As it clicked open, the room fell silent. Of course, this silence was by no means a tense one, but it became tense as the door swung open, and the missing son of the chairman – face hollowed and sickly, hair a mess and eyes ablaze – appeared at the doorway with a malicious smile planted firmly on his dry lips. As the silence hung thick in the air, and wide eyes that all recognised the boy stuck to him like glue, Fugaku slowly began to rise in his seat at the head of the table. A cup shattered on the floor as it slipped out of the hand of a middle-aged woman who was seated beside the chairman. Their was a long, slow moment, as the entire room waited for the head to speak, even though he was clearly lost for words.

"Sasuke," the man said eventually, having taken a large, long breath. "How… surprising… to see you."

"No words!" The room seemed to jolt at the younger man's violent tone. Lips hardened into a thin line, the chairman nodded to his board members to signal the end of the meeting. At this, most of the ten or so people there nodded back and there was a great rustling of paper as many of them seized up their things. Eyes still dangerously narrow, the raven let them pass one by one. Last to leave was the woman who had dropped her cup – a thin, clear-skinned woman with horn rimmed glasses. To his disgust, she seemed to quickly scan him as she left and a spark of approval flickered in her green eyes as she swished away.

"That woman you just sneered at is my mistress," Fugaku told his son bluntly, as the boy quietly entered the conference room and shut the door behind him. "She's as easy as they come, that one."

"Those are your final words?" Sasuke snorted back, lashing out with his leg and booting over one of the heavy chairs at the long black conference table. "You adulterating bastard. I doubt it comforts you to know that there is no one on this planet who'll miss a night's sleep over you." To the snake's distinct annoyance, the chairman seemed to smirk slightly, as he picked up his disgusting pipe from the table and popped the end in his mouth, puffing smoke from the corner of his lips.

"You want to kill me?" he simpered patronisingly. "You have no idea what you're dealing w-"

"Shut up!" the raven interrupted, hitting over the next chair with his knee. He was so furious. "We're going to fight now and you will die."

"Grow up, you fool. If you kill me you will be throwing away your life. You'll go through absolute hell." Suddenly, the snake sprang forward upon his father, throwing a fist in the direction of the chairman's face. A simple step back was all it took to avoid the direct hit, and Sasuke himself was forced to stumble away as the man's body began to scale over and distort. It was a transformation – something the raven had never in his life seen Fugaku do. Two glowing green eyes the size of plates were soon staring back at him, and a towering black snake the size of a car was outstretched before him. At first, the boy felt himself quivering at the sight of such a rapid and formidable transformation, but when he looked closer he could see that his father's scales were dull and tired, and the entire beast was thin and weak. Technically, this should be a cinch. This in mind, Sasuke smirked and let his body mimic his father's basic transformation. As he grew, the table and chairs were pushed to the side as easily as a bunch of barrels being moved by a forklift.

"Sssso you think you outclassss me, father? Tssssssss… Think again." Before he gave his father even a millisecond to process what he'd just said, he threw himself forward with his fangs fully bared.

"Too slow!" teased the other, dashing away and smashing several ceiling lights and windows. Hissing furiously, the young viper readied himself to strike again, but suddenly he had to duck as something clear and liquid flew at him. There was another hissing sound as the liquid hit the wall, but as he looked over his shoulder Sasuke realised that the liquid had been acid – so strong that it was melting through the walls, making steam pour out of the holes. So this beast could spit acid. This could be slightly more dangerous than he initially realised, but nothing he couldn't handle. Again, the young snake attacked, only this time he brought his heavy tail swinging through the air, and with it, he clubbed the swaying monster across the head. For a moment, it was dazed and Sasuke saw on opportunity to strike again. But seeing this coming, the other rushed forward and their scaled necks collided as they stumbled over each others' stringy bodies.

"Tssss! Get off me! I hate you!" Panic kicked in at the thought of teeth stabbing into his back, and the younger python wriggled out of the tangled mess.

"The feeling is perfectly mutual. I'm glad you've attacked me here today! I can finally get rid of this drain of my resources," the other snapped back, green eyes almost as poisonous as the acid. Sasuke darted out of danger again as yet another bead of acid shot toward him, this time smashing through the glass.

"Enough!" This time, his lunge was successful as he slammed his father heavily into the wall. The weaker body hissed in pain as it landed uncomfortably against the table and its skull smashed through the thin walls. In an attempt to slip away, the huge body suddenly shrank down into a normal sized human, but his son was quick to follow the movement. Rage reaching a fever point, the raven let his fist slam heavily into Fugaku's cheek.

"Pffft!" he spat, his head being thrown to one side.

"I hate you!" the snake screamed, no longer even remotely in control of his body. "Our family is broken and miserable!" Another fist collided with the now heavily bruised man's chin. "It's your fault! We aren't just investments!" This time, as he landed a punch across the chairman's face a spray of blood flew from his lips. "And the only person who ever made me feel like more than that is dead!"

"You… are… pathet…ic," Fugaku gurgled, squinting at his son through the one eye that wasn't swollen.

"Hn!" The chairman gasped as the skilled fighter tore him off the wall and threw him over his shoulder. With a pained cry as he smashed onto his back, he tried to stand up using the window as support, but within seconds his son was upon him again. Fisting the front of the man's shirt, the raven pulled him up and dragged him over to the broken window, and with his free hand pulled out his knife. "Thirty-seven floors is a long way to fall, but I want to see that you're dead before I let you out of my sight."

"Do you know what I like about you?" the chairman growled, as the blood dribbling down his chin dripped over the edge of the drop. "Fuck all." Everything was perfect. His anger was high as the sky, and with his kunai raised Sasuke felt ready to end his father's life once and for all. But then he froze. Expecting his death, Fugaku frowned as his son's eyes suddenly began to overflow with fear and confusion.

"Wh-what is this?" the boy gasped, as the knife slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. In his arms he was holding his own weeping, blood-soaked mother. "M… No…" But it was too late. Just as his eyes began to see the chairman again, the man was already grinning, and in a second he felt a force grip his arm and yank him forward. "N-no!" he yelled as he lost his balance, his arms reaching for whatever they could grab before he fell thirty-seven stories to his death. They grabbed something.

"Wait! No!" came another cry of shock.

"Ha…" He was pulling his own father over the edge with him. He still couldn't see, but there was a rush of air and for a split second, he saw the horror filled face of his father as the raven pulled him off the building by the collar of his suit. Within a second they were falling... and…

Thwack!

"Ha… Ah… Aaaah!" No. This was not the right sort of pain, he thought wildly, but suddenly he became acutely aware of the fact that his father's voice was rapidly disappearing. Blinding pain was tearing through his body like someone was pumping him full of molten gold. "Aaaaah!" he screamed, trying to twist away from the pain, but it was so much worse when he moved that he could have vomited. Even with his eyes wide open, his brain was so haywire that nothing he was seeing made sense. But soon he realised that the box shaped hole only five metres above his head was the window he'd just dropped out of. Only five metres… then why was this agony? Suddenly, he felt something that made his heart stop in horror. He could feel something hard in his shoulder, and a pool of warm liquid was very slowly spreading beneath him. Slowly, he let his eyes pan over to his right shoulder to see what he already knew was there. "Hn… Aaaah! Ahaha… Fucking… shit!" Protruding right out from his body – actually impaling him right through – was a sharp, nasty looking skewer of stainless steel, and frankly the snake couldn't give a flying fuck what it was for because it was sticking out of his shoulder. Gasping in unbelievable, totally unbearable pain, he tried to move to see if it was going to be possible to pull himself off it, but… the shining red flesh only ripped and bled more, and made Sasuke want the kind of anaesthetic used by doctors to kill people. "God… oh god… just relax…" Taking a shaky, yet deep breath, he tried to calm himself and look back up at the window. Somehow, he'd managed to land on some kind of wall. Below him on his left must be some kind of garden, and on his right, a sheer drop. Part of himself was telling him that this was a better fate than the one Fugaku met, but the other part wasn't having any of that crap. How long could he survive like this? Hours? Minutes? Already he felt incredibly weak, and he knew that he would pass out any second. Blackness was creeping in around the corners of his eyes. His head was light. There was a figure at the window. "M… Master!" he rasped. It was clearly Orochimaru standing there, with that insipid smile on his lips. "Help…" But the blackness had already consumed him.

"Holy shit…" It was late afternoon, just after Sasuke and Orochimaru had left, and the corpse of Naruto was stone grey, still lying in the same spot on the mountain. Pushing it over with his foot, the boy in orange and grey trainers and blue jeans knelt down beside it and brushed some blond hair out of its eyes. "Man… I'm so glad that's not me." The tanned hand moved gently over to the fox's forehead, and in a second, the body disappeared in a cloud of orange. Now, the real Naruto got to his feet, a deep frown etched into his face. "So I guess he doesn't know." Minato didn't know all the tricks that Orochimaru did, but he knew some that the creature didn't. If a transformer can create clones of themselves it makes sense that the clones should then also be able to transform – not the easiest of techniques, but it was a condition set by Minato that his son would not be allowed to confront any member of the Akatsuki without first learning this skill. Having seen his own dead corpse, the blond was now feeling quite glad he had put in the effort and learnt it. So his next move… "I can't let Orochimaru get him," he muttered, looking out across the landscape back in the direction of the city. "I know they've gone back to the city but… I have no idea where Fugaku is…" Surely though, if he made it back home soon, his father would help locate him. Plan set and ready to go, Naruto was just about to transform into his nimble, muscular werefox form, when suddenly his pocket started to ring and vibrate. Snatching up his phone, he thrust it to his ear with a high degree of hostility. "Listen, I'm really busy right now."

"Uzumaki!" The voice was clearly the flat tone of Shikamaru. "It was troublesome of you to leave."

"Who told you that?" the fox growled, though he knew it must have been Minato.

"Never mind that. We have finished planning and Sakura, Gaara and I have made a discovery that you need to hear," the voice came back quickly. Raising an eyebrow, the blond turned back and watched as mouse scarpered across a rock.

"What is it?"

**A cliff hanger. Or halfway up a building hanger. Yup. **

**If you liked it please review :D**


	17. Necrosis

**Okay here is chapter 17 all lovely and tweaked. I hope it's not too... never mind :D Le read! Hey i don't know if anyone's noticed but lots of the places referred to in 40mtl are real. I promise you now I do research to make sure if I write about real things that they are as authentic as possible. Oh yeah I'm so cheeesy. Please read it and then review to encourage more people to read and enjoy 40mtl :D**

17 – Necrosis

A shiver ran through loose black hair as a chilling northeasterly swept past the Izumi Garden Tower. The still raven panted in his troubled and forced state of unconsciousness, his face as grey as stone and spattered with flecks of red. So much thick blood had already trailed dark marks down both sides of the wall that he'd had been so hideously skewered to, that it was beginning to make pools on the window sills below. If anyone looked outside from the floors below, maybe Sasuke would have had a chance of rescue, but even after almost an hour of lying there, no one had appeared. Another, colder wind brushed the hair out of his eyes, and his eyelashes fluttered as they were battered by the breeze.

"Hn…" It was a tiny murmur, almost non-existent. But like a tiny spark, this flicker of life slowly began to burn a little warmer inside him. It wasn't enough to let him open his eyes, but as cold, soft flesh slowly slithered around his arm, he was alert enough to react. Twitching fingers tried to pull away, although the effort seemed weak and pathetic. "Hn…"

"Uchiha-sssan. You've ssssurvived a long time," came a soft, hissing voice. The boy's eyelashes flickered again, and his white lips twitched.

"What… took you so long?" Sasuke mumbled, still only half conscious. Somehow his body felt heavy like he was made of granite, and even opening his eyes to see the snake beside him was an exhausting effort. "Do you want me to die?"

"I feared the worssst when I ssssaw what happened, but when I found you alive I had to sssecure the area." Intimidating eyes stared down as the raven's head flopped uselessly to his side. "Thingsss like that take time."

"Master, I need you to help me ascend _before_ I die," he growled, his black eyes narrowing. "I'm… in pain here." To the tired rag's vague surprise, a nasty smile split across the viper's poisonous lips.

"Oh, of coursssse. Thankssss to you, we have the lasssst piecssse needed to complete thissss ritual – the blood of your kin," he slurred, licking his lips.

"That's… just metaphorical, right?" the young raven coughed, narrow eyes watching the snake above him. "We aren't… actually using his remains… in the ritual… right?" The agony made him feel almost as though he was inside a trash compactor, and just speaking hurt. He couldn't even feel his shoulder any longer, except for a stiffness like he'd never be able to move it again in his life. His eyes shot open as Orochimaru's throat buldged slightly and, he made a sharp hoicking sound. "Oh god!" Sasuke rasped, as his stomach lurched dangerously. Snapping his head away from a truly grotesque sight, he looked at the less disgusting spike protruding from his shoulder. It made a shudder stumble through his shivering, sickly body as the image of his father's bleeding dead heart being spat out onto the wall next to him, with dark blood dripping down the python's green chin etched itself forever into his memory.

"Look at it, boy. Thisss issss what you wanted, and now we can usssse it." Something in the monster's cruel heart seemed to jump, as he stared down hungrily at the body before him. It was all over for Sasuke now, and he knew it – but there was a kick he was getting out of this. It was a moment that he wanted to last. "Ssssay it. Admit that you want thissss power." At first, all he received was a soft snort, before the raven rolled his head back around to stare up at Orochimaru.

"I have given up everything for this," he drawled, his words flowing slowly yet smoothly from his blueish lips. "And now I… I feel so weak that I can't even bare it. Making me beg in this state is sick, so… hurry up already." When the insipid smile only widened, a small surge of irritation lapsed through the exhausted body. "Please… give… make me ascend! Give… me… control, and power. I need… to… complete my goal."

"No, boy. It'ssss time that I completed mine," the creature hissed softly, leaning in so close that Sasuke could feel its cold breath blowing against his collarbone. All of a sudden, as the stricken raven stared up at the fangs, he felt his heart turn into acid and melt through his back into the concrete. If Orochimaru had always been planning to… double cross him… this was the worst imaginable time for it to be happening. When he'd already sacrificed everything.

"It's not true," he whispered, almost believing it. Yet all the while he could still feel his heart dropping further, and that smile just kept growing and growing. A dizzy, warm feeling washed over him as his wound started to seep blood, and he realised his heart was speeding up from barely a murmur to full on pounding. "What is your goal, anyway?"

"To occupy that youthful body of yoursssss." Of course, Orochimaru could tell him straight up now. There was little chance of the young snake being able to 'escape' a huge snake being pinned down by a stake through his shoulder. "Ussssing an ancient ritual that you believed would caussse you to asssscend."

"Wh…what?" he gasped, trying to calm his body to stop himself from passing out.

"Insssstead of your body going to heaven before you die, your ssssoul shall ssssimply be ripped from your body and my mind will bond with what'sss left of you." Biting back a potentially agonising shudder, Sasuke stared up at the python in terror. "That wound isss sssssurvivable, even if it isssn't very pleassssant. A bit of sssurgery will have the perfect able body, and I then can sssstart from eighteen all over again."

"That's impossible." Again, the shivering mess was barely convinced of his own words, especially when the monster let out a low snicker.

"I have inhabited countlessss bodiessss over the four hundred yearsss I have exsssisssted. You have been my easssiessst target yet," he simpered, shaking his head. The smart-assed side of Sasuke wanted to say 'I bet you say that to everyone,' but even as he tried to speak, his jaw was frozen stiff. His eyes wouldn't blink. In a matter of barely a minute, his mind was being shaken so hard that it was hurting almost as badly as his injury. Like he knew he was going to die. Like all that jumbled information and those out-of-proportion ideas in his head were bleeding out his nose. _Do you understand now, you damn fool? You are going to reap what you have sown, and I have to suffer for it. She has to suffer for it. Not to mention the fact that Naruto is dead, and it's all your fault._ It scared him. More than the thought of having his soul ripped from his body, it scared him. By turning his back on his friends and his own family he uprooted everything – including himself. Sickening images of Naruto in his mind were induced because it was his own fault the fox was dragged into such dangerous territory. What did he think would happen, if he started messing around with monsters, and criminals? And seeing his own Mother… that led to him falling off this building was because something was trying to tell him that it was a mistake – not to kill his father, but in fact to become a murderer. A killer. This voice inside his head was the closest thing he had to reason. It must be. _Who are you? Do I just hear this voice because I'm… I'm insane?_ Truly, he wasn't expecting the voice to answer back. _So you admit that you're insane. But you are so much more than insane. You are insanity itself. You are my insanity._

"You freak," he finally managed. A sharp hiss escaped from the now somewhat annoyed beast, and it reared back slightly. Something strange felt like it was stirring inside of the raven, like he was feeling slightly more alive and energised – but still nowhere near enough for him to be able to move. "You've been using me this whole time, haven't you?"

"Of courssse," snickered Orochimaru, swaying slightly from side to side. "I showed you the symbol of ascension to show you the power of magic and helped you to hone your abilities – abilities that would inevitably become mine. The ingredients needed for such a ritual are simple, such as the sulfur in the gunpowder we used to tattoo your back." The snake's heart fell yet again as he came to the sickening realisation that all this suffering he'd been put through only led to more suffering. "And even just that three headed snake is powerful – it is one of the key elements I need. Once I have stripped away your soul, the symbol of Union shall help me to claim your body." Why couldn't he have just picked up on all those little hints, with all that 'your goal is my goal' crap, and how Pein had reffered to him as nicer than Orochimaru's 'current'? "Even the death of your father was important. It is the blood of your own kin killed in hatred that is required to prove that the soul is not worthy of the body." This was something, that in spite of the disgust that it caused to bubble up inside of him, the raven had to agree with. _If I am your insanity… are you… me?_ He asked, as his mind wandered back to this voice. _No, I'm me. You're a little more like… Fugaku. In trying to protect myself and my family from him, you appeared. At least, I think. Well… you are me. Maybe I'm just a part of your conscience that isn't a total loony that betrays everyone important in his life for something as corrupt as power. Which is basically Fugaku in a nutshell. If I could just control you for once… then I would have taken a different path. But you locked me away, along with the things that mattered to me. Like Naruto. Like my mother. _Another, more powerful shiver shot down the boy's spine at this. In the end, he really had lost his purpose. He hadn't been with the Akatsuki for long before thoughts of his mother moved to the back of his mind. _That whole time… I think… I didn't really care what I was doing terrible things for. I just wanted to do terrible things and get away with it. I wanted to be stronger and crueller than Father. _God, he really was insane – taking counselling from himself in his final moments. _I noticed, you fucking idiot. And what have you left me? If Mother doesn't hate me now, she soon will, and she'll be sicker than when he was alive. The person who truly knows me and loves me is now dead. My friends would probably murder me if they ever saw me again. Not that any of that matters, of course, because you've gone and got me killed as well._ That, again, was totally true. Life wasn't better now – it was just smashed. It was so much more broken than it had ever been. _I need to accept responsibility for all of this. I'm really sorry. Please… I just want to be me again. Just for the ritual._ This thought was one he tried to transmit to his conscience so hard that his mind was practically screaming it. "All thissss time you thought I wasss training you becausssse you were ssstrong, but it issss your weaknesssss that makesss you the perfect prey." If it weren't for his great exhaustion and lack of blood, Sasuke would've completely blown his top at this, but his response was far mellower as his head rolled away from the snake. His dark eyes seemed sad.

"What is strength, anyway?" he sighed. Never had he felt so dead. "My father is the one who convinced me that it was more important than anything else, by treating me like crap for being 'weak'. I could never understand what I was doing wrong." Somehow he wanted to laugh at that, though he wasn't too sure why. Maybe it was because everything was making sense to him now or maybe because he couldn't tell if he was himself again or not. "Take my body if you want. No one will notice the difference." _Yes_, _this is me now._ It wasn't difficult to know, when he thought about it. Having shed his anger and bitterness he could remember all the regrets he'd forgotten to feel. Crap, it didn't feel good. In fact, bitterness was a comfort compared to this – but at least this felt real. So few things in his life were real.

"Don't flatter yourssself, boy," cackled the beast, and the boy's eyes slammed shut in discomfort as a scaled mass of flesh suddenly hooked under his already scraggly shirt. There was a sound of popping threads and a suppressed hiss of pain as the garment was carelessly ripped open by the strong tail. A twitch of disgust made him shoot a snarling glare back up at the viper, whose body was shrinking down into that slimy, pale creature that was Orochimaru. Blood that was forming a cold pool next to him stained the raven's now white, exposed skin, and his entire, chilled torso was slattered with dried droplets of his own gore. Black eyes were suddenly drawn to the man's slender fingers as they reached out, but they darted away again in disgust as they moved toward his father's dead heart and trailed across the fresh blood. "Wedjets, or eyes of Horus will activate the process," he heard Orochimaru slur, and he flinched as a drenched finger landed on his forehead. From what he could tell as the fingers swirled in a quick circle, topped with a couple of sweeps on the north and south of the shape, it seemed to be a crude drawing of an eye.

"I always hated you," the young snake lied, sneering resentfully up at the smirking figure as it snatched his right hand and drew another shape on his palm. Sniffing at the tickling sensation, the still guilty raven resisted the urge to simply wipe away the ritualistic marks as Orochimaru added two more – one on his other palm and one on his exposed stomach, right above his tummy button. "You're an ugly, disturbing freak."

"Not for long." Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly at this. Even if he wasn't exactly in his own good books in the moment, he despised the creature so much more than he despised himself. "Being able to pull will certainly be a nice change." That comment was unexpectedly self-absuive, the raven thought to himself. To his disgust, he found himself wondering if his body was homosexual, or if it was his soul, despite it being a totally inappropriate thing to be wondering in the situation. But these things were ejected from his mind as his eyes fell on the flicker of light in the monster's hand, as he pulled a knife from his hip.

"Ts! If you need my blood too, there's plenty pouring out of my shoulder, so put that away," hissed the snake, not wanting to add pain to pain. "Look, I'm cooperating," he spluttered, as the almost mirthful man lowered the armed hand toward the side of the boy's head. Nerves already totally shot, Sasuke just about shut down completely as the knife – right next to his ear – suddenly gave a sharp twist and cut away a lock of his sable hair. But god, this burning sadness and sense of his life slipping through his fingers was so deserved.

"So my soul knows whose body to possess," Orochimaru told him. Just as the boy's tired mind was wondering what that monster was planning to do with the lock of hair, he saw the lighter in the other sickly hand. Holding the hair up near his face, the man raised the lighter and in a swift snap of his thumb, the flint sparked and lit the gas. In only a split second, the bottom of the black hair lit like gunpowder and disentigrated into smoke. Watching in fascinated horror, the raven coughed as the beast opened his mouth and breathed in the fumes, quickly letting go before the flammable material burned his fingers. A putrid, pungent smell of sulfur wafted toward him and just about made the young snake's eyes water.

"How long is this ritual? My soul's going to leave of its own accord due to boredom," mumbled Sasuke, his heavy head rolling back to the side where he could look across the red-wash city instead of the blood-wash wall. From behind his head, he could the clunk and jangle of metal.

"Thanks to you, I finally managed to get this useful thing back. Its powers really are quite astonishing." Taking a sharp breath and scrunching his eyes shut, the boy shivered slightly as he felt a familiar energy.

"Get… that thing away from me," he stammered. "Hn!" Freezing metal burned his chest as the revolting symbol was dumped down on top of him. Why were things so different now? The energy he'd once craved and revered, now felt evil – like it was feeding off him; taking away years from his life. "Get it off me!" A sharp laugh burst out from Orochimaru behind him as the raven's lean muscles began to tense and he tried to wriggle away from the weight on top of him – though he could barely move. "Kill me! Please just kill me…" Cackling even louder, the creature merely reached down and gripped the young snake's cheeks like a vice with his fingers, wrenching his face up and forcing open his lips. All the boy could do was whimper as something cold was pressed against him and a chilled, metallic substance flooded into his mouth. A spatter of red fluid flew from his lips as he almost inhaled it and he coughed it out in reflex.

"Drink it, or I'll drown you," snarled the creature, pinching the boy's nose with spare fingers. Gurgling and convulsing as he tried to spit the blood out so he could breath, terrified black eyes stared straight into the man's slitted pupils. "If you drink your father's blood, I promise to kill you, and it'll be a lot more pleasant than drowning to death." This, Sasuke could believe. Only, as he struggled to breath and his chest heaved horribly, he found himself too scared to swallow it. Images of drowning paralysed his throat, and all he could do was gurgle. Black water. His father's flickering face above the surface. His chest burning. _Fuck!_ he thought wildly, as his throat finally gave in and opened for the blood to flow down. Heart still pounding frantically as he madly gulped down every last drop of Fugaku's blood, his own started to seep from his shoulder again. "That's good. People are usually a lot easier to force feed, but you just seemed happy to drown," drawled Orochimaru, flicking his tongue, pulling the small dish away and releasing Sasuke's reddened lips.

"Gah!" he gasped, flopping back down and panting like a fish. "Gah… No… my father used to throw me in the water when I was little… and when I couldn't swim he'd tell me that if I couldn't learn then I deserved to drown, and he would leave while I was still in the pool." Even though Orochimaru rolled his eyes in disinterest, it was still calming for the raven to recount that experience. "And he also used to punish me by forcing my head under the water for a whole minute… So now whenever I think about drowning, I seize up."

"If Fugaku-sama was still alive, then I'd thank him," sniggered the creature, his eyes hungrily raking the body that was soon to be his. "His genes made you incredibly capable physically, but his parenting made you malleable. I suppose it was his constant frigidity that made you so obsessed with power and recognition." God, that insipid smile was just so hideous in the raven's eyes. "You are a perfect specimen. So few are as easy to mold."

"So take it!" Sasuke suddenly roared. To his satisfaction, that damn horrible smile shrank like a mouse. It really was a sudden roar from the blood-soaked teen. It was the most energy he could've possibly summoned, bordering on dangerous. "Take my body, though neither of us deserve it! Even if I was totally mad, the second I saw you kill Naruto I wanted to drop dead with him! Yes, I was too weak to stop myself from doing terrible things, even when I wanted to! I went completely insane, because I'm so pathetic! I'm so selfish that I want to die right here and now, even though I know that the worst punishment would be to go on living! Clearly you enjoy watching your victims suffer, but I'm going to hell anyway, so just hurry up!" Blinking back the surprise, Orochimaru's brow furrowed.

"Hell? This is hell, you damn fool. Here I am – a real life demon standing in front of you. Your true hell is going to be your own guilt – something considerably worse," he sneered, not very comfortable with the boy's acceptance. "People like you don't just die and move into 'a next life'. You just live in this one for ever, remembering and regretting. Some death."

"Hell is hell. I don't care what happens there as long as I suffer, and suffer for a very long time," sniffed the raven, his lips in a tight line. "I'm arrogant and selfish and I won't settle for anything less." Shaking his head with a resentful sneer (it irritated Orochimaru to find willing prey), the demon stood back from the wall and raised his hands into the air.

"Shut up. You're about to die, like you wanted." Expecting a chilling fear to pass through him, Sasuke couldn't help but feel a mellow surprise as he felt himself relax. An unknown, dark force felt like it was closing his eyes, but all the while it felt relieving to let them slip shut. "Do you feel your spirit growing lighter, Uchiha-san? It's rising out of your body through the eye of the medallion, and through the Wedjets."

"Ts!" he hissed, but his eyes were glued shut. In fact, he was losing the ability to move his limbs. At first he wasn't sure how he was supposed to 'feel' his spirit at all, but that was before an unseeable black dripped down through the medallion into his chest. In moments, this blackness was swarming through him like shadowy tentacles, but he was surprisingly relaxed as he began to float through them like they were trees in a dark forest. It was a netherworld, but Sasuke was comfortable. Even though he couldn't control where he was going, he sort of didn't mind. There was a warm wind blowing him away like a fluttering leaf. _I'm coming, Naruto._ An echoey thud resonated through him, and he could sense that near him someone had collapsed, and a thin smile spread across his face. Without opening his eyes, his tongue extended from his lips and gently lapped away some blood stains. In four hundred years, he'd never awoken in a body quite as uncomfortable as this one, but it still satisfied him greatly in spite of the serious injuries. Finally, his eyes fluttered open as he raised one of his hands. While he was used to pale skin, it really did make his heart pound slightly to see fingers that were almost beefy in comparison to his old ones. Snorting a little, he cast his eyes down to the slumped body next to him. This really was an improvement. Last time he really overlooked the importance of being able to fit in with the general population. While his new form was moderately well known, he wasn't exactly a celebrity – fortunately. "Thanks for that, Uchiha-san," he smirked, letting his – _his_ – arm fall back to _his_ side. Sudden footsteps caught his notice, and he arched his head around to see the redhaired figure of Pein stepping carefully onto the balcony. The strange spiralled eyes were moving slowly between the limp body and Sasuke or Orochimaru as he crossed his arms.

"What happened to you?" he asked, as though he didn't really care. "I haven't been body snatching for anywhere near as long as you have, but I'd never let my new body get this damaged." Giving a sharp hiss, the boy-turned-demon tried to lift himself up the spike, but with a groan he had to sink back down.

"There was a complication beyond my control, believe it or not, Pein," he retorted, his brow twitching as jolts burned through his nerves.

"Surely, you mean Nagato," the evil fox said, kicking the vege-Orochimaru gently before stepping over him. "You've lost too much blood."

"No kidding." It really was a strange sensation having a new voice coming from his mouth. Lifting his hand slightly, he was a little worried to see just how much it was shaking. "So are you going to get me to a hospital or not? This isn't as comfortable as it looks." With an irritated huff, the redhead strode right up to the snake as his fingers began to sprout dangerously sharp claws. With a sudden whiplike movement and a flurry of sparks, Pein slashed the pole right above the wound, but it didn't appear to move. That was, until he flicked it with his finger, and it tipped and dropped off the edge of the building with a clatter.

"This may hurt quite a lot," he unnecessarily told the raven, gripping the young shoulders tightly. At first Sasuke (or Orochimaru) had an urge to say something snide, but he was gritting his teeth in case he had to stop himself from screaming, so he couldn't say anything. A bubble of blood seeped from the wound as the flesh was slowly pulled up and the metal sank down with a sucking sound. It seemed like his fleshy gore was trying to stick to the pole, and didn't slide easily against the metal. Fighting not to look, the raven huffed and glared at Pein to make him pull faster.

"Gnnuh!" he gasped, as there was a loud schlock and a sound like falling water when his blood poured onto the concrete. It was agonising, like he was being torn inside out. His last dizzying thoughts before he passed out were of the small regret he felt for waiting until after they'd swapped bodies to do this. As for what Sasuke really thought of this… was simply immaterial by now.

It was almost dark by the time the now close to panicking fox made it back into Tokyo city from Ashikaga. Honestly, from the bus he'd been staring up at the blinking evening stars for long enough that he was beginning to associate them with real people – him being the flicker, barely seeable pathetic one, and the one that you couldn't quite tell if it was pure white or damned red was Sasuke.

"God… what was that?" he'd muttered to himself, in a sort of enraged worry. When he saw his replica being killed, the raven stayed with his 'body' for a really long time, but… his face was so straight. It had scared Naruto. It scared him a lot. What if that damn confused kid had already taken his 'temporary insanity' too far? Back when they'd 'fought' at the truckstop weeks and weeks ago, the raven had said something about wanting to kill, but not really being able to. Had that changed? Maybe by the time the blond 'died' Sasuke had already seen enough blood not to be saddened by it. These things on the stressed fox's mind almost had him banging his head on the seat in front of him. "I love you, even if you're crazy…" he murmured. The bus had finally pulled into the city near to where Naruto would be able to find a metro and get himself over to Shikamaru's, and just watching his black Chucks walking him down the footpath was absolutely gripping, his mind was buzzing so intensely. Perhaps if he stared at them long enough and then looked up he'd be there already. Funnily enough, when his sea blue eyes finally did float back up he was actually only at the other end of the block, not at Shikamaru's house. And yes, while that meant the metro was just around the corner, he still had to navigate his way there using the jerk's vague sms directions. Well, they did live quite close, but… he still felt bitter about the whole thing. What pissed him off most though, was when he told Shikamaru that Orochimaru was planning to steal Sasuke's body, after a really long pause that jerk just told him to forget all that and come over anyway. So potentially, Sasuke was lying trapped somewhere on the roof of some building, cold and terrified while some creep who thinks he can do magic tricks tries to do some kind of body swap. And when that doesn't work what'll happen then? Maybe that horrible teacher could kill Sasuke in frustration or something. Of course, in the meantime, Shikamaru has told him that it doesn't matter. It really upset him to think about what could be happening, and really ticked him off that people didn't seem to be taking him seriously. This time when he looked up, he really was on the subway now. It even surprised him a little. Usually the world passed so slowly for the excitable teen, but now that he was scared – out of his wits – he was barely even noticing it. Seriously, even when he was leaving the station and he walked right passed an aromatic ramen diner he didn't even glance over. And he was really hungry too, having not eaten pretty much all day. The only thing that could lighten the heavy blanket of despair was the comforting thought that he had gathered some helpful intelligence without getting killed, even if he didn't manage to sever the connection that Sasuke had to the Akatsuki. This slightly lightened blanket floated unseen behind him. If he were to slow down too much or stop, then he would be draped in this blanket of despair. As he walked faster back out to the sidewalk, he could just about feel it chasing him. It was a ridiculous delusion, but it distracted his mind all the way to river-hugging home of Shikamaru. Straight away, Naruto had recognised this part of town to be more of a fashionable area, where people went to out to dinner or went to the clubs. On riverside, where the guy actually lived, there were cafés and restaurants rather than skyscrapers, to preserve the view of the inviting body of water. In fact, Shikamaru had asked the fox to one of the swankiest restaurants there – Renkinjutsu-Shi. It was a pretty famous place, but the blond had never gone there himself. His family were more into camping than going out to dinner or anything. Anyway, that guy's parents were supposed to be the owners, or something, who lived just above the commercial bit. Renkinjutsu-Shi had a lot of glass, or dark wooden slides and doors that gave it an attractive appearance, unlike quite a few ugly buildings that you might see in lower class areas of the city. Somehow it managed to pull off a nice mix of both modern and ancient Japanese design. Classy waiters were carrying around plates of amazing looking food, and all the guests at the tables seemed so enthralled by it that they were either staring at their plates with amused eyes or raving about it with other guests.

"Uzumaki!" came a deep voice from somewhere he couldn't see. Feeling slightly stupid, as he turned a full circle on the footpath but still couldn't see who it was, he pretended it wasn't there and took a timid step toward the restaurant's heavy doors. "I'm up here, you usuratonkachi!" That word caught him right in the chest. Usuratonkachi. Of course it couldn't be him, but, as his cerulean eyes panned up to meet the eldest Uchiha brother, his heart did sink a little. The young man was leaning out an almost invisible window that was hidden among the wooden panels on the top floor.

"Ne… Itachi!" the fox shouted back, suddenly remembering something important. A few passers-by glowered at the noisy kid, but naturally he paid no attention. "Tell that Nara bastard that we need to go stop Orochimaru and Sasuke _now_!"

"No," replied the dusty raven flatly. "Stop being annoying and come upstairs." Part of him wanted to get really offended and run off to help Sasuke by himself, but it didn't outweigh his comfort in the familiarity of Itachi's rudeness, nor his recognition that the STR could fill him in on any intell that he hadn't heard yet.

"I'll only come up if it somehow leads to us getting Sasuke back," he sniffed, even though he knew he was being unreasonable.

"Come up or I'll drag you up myself!" Rolling his eyes, the blond complied and plodded the last few steps sleepily around to the stairs on the side of the building. As the hard rubber soles of his shoes clacked against the metal steps, he couldn't help but notice how much Shikamaru's family put into their business, rather than their home. Most of the adults he knew got their fortune through the achievements of their predecessors, and most of them seemed happy to live the busy yet luxurious coroporate lives of mansion owning snobs. It wasn't as if they didn't work hard – they really did. All of them. But clearly Nara's parents involved themselves in a full-on way that was uncommon among the highly ranked in society. In a humble sort of way, Naruto believed their home was really beautiful, and he felt impressed at the dedication that it showed, as he walked up the clean iron steps on the side of the artistic restaurant. People like them probably got far more enjoyment out of their lives, which was slightly ironic, looking at their son. Aside from this, he was just tired, and at his wits end. All his worrying had made the fox strangely mellow, but he was really exhausted from running all over the place. So his heart almost dropped through the floor when his hand only ghosted the door handle before the door flew open and arms shot out and latched on to his shoulders.

"Waah!" he gasped, as he was wrenched inside by Deidara.

"Naruto. We're going to get him back, un. We promise. Just cooperate for now, un." The words flew quickly past his ear as he was dragged through the wooden door.

"What," he huffed, just as he was about to hit his head on the wall, "do you mean cooperate? And let go of me, will you Dei…" Suddenly, his voice was cracking, even as the boy's hands slipped away. "da…ra."

"Don't cry," the ferret murmured, reaching out to rub the fox's head just above his ear. "It'll be okay." It surprised him to hear Deidara say that, but all things considered… Naruto wouldn't have been surprised if it did look as though he was about to cry. Of course he'd never in front of his friends, except for Sasuke. Because he used to when they were little. Shit. "I know things are looking bad. Nara told us what you said Orochimaru is planning. But those hot shots – Gaara, Haruno and Nara – have got it all figured out."

"I think something's happened," he murmured, as he slowly continued to walk, right past his friend and across to a door that he assumed would lead to the brunet's bedroom. He hadn't even noticed that Deidara wasn't following. The ferret was staring at the floor where the fox had been, his blue eyes slightly frostier than usual. With a small sigh, he watched the back of his friend disappearing into Shikamaru's room, but he still didn't go after him.

"Naruto-san! Finally!" Utterly exhausted, the fox flopped down onto a small yellow couch next to Neji in the spacious room – though it didn't seem very spacious, with such a crowd. Not everyone was there this time – just Haruno, Sasori, and Nara sitting on the bed, Itachi in the armchair by the bookshelf and Gaara was parked in his wheelchair next to the couch. For some reason, the dog was bouncing quite a lot on the bed, and it looked like he was really struggling to keep a straight face. "I've been looking forward to telling you this," he said, really fighting a smile. It probably would've been a bit insensitive if he didn't fight it. The blond looked miserable and pale, and his hands were shaking.

"Okay." Next to him, Neji shifted with slight discomfort. Naruto's reaction to this… titbit was dependant on whether or not he could understand it.

"Do you know what a placebo is, Naruto?" he asked. For someone usually bored and carefree, the brunet seemed very pleased with himself. Nervous that his voice would be shaky if he spoke, the boy shook his head. "The placebo effect is something that doctors use to cure illnesses or hypochondriacs. They give the affected person a pill that doesn't do anything and tell the patient that it will cure them, and when the patient then uses that pill they believe they're cured, and so feel better. Do you understand? So the pill wasn't real, but the effect it had would've been real."

"You can't cure cancer by giving someone magic beans," snorted the blond sceptically. At this point, the whole room let out a groan.

"No, you baka," came a teasing voice, as the ferret meandered back into the room, shutting the door behind him. "It cures illnesses caused by the mind, un."

"Oh." Over in the corner, Itachi was exchanging an exasperated glance with Gaara across the room.

"So… Orochimaru can't steal anyone's body, Naruto. It's not possible. Anything that happens to them is reversible, is what I'm saying." Suddenly, Naruto's eyes shot up, and his lips parted slightly. With the exciting news off his chest, the dog seemed to sink back down and his expression hardened. "What? What did I say this time?"

"I get it." With an enormous sigh, the fox's body crumpled and he slumped back in the couch, his eyes settling on a cobweb on the ceiling. "That's a relief. I thought we'd run out of time." It was like the only thing keeping him awake was the worry, but having been lightened considerably; all of a sudden he wanted to drop off to sleep.

"That's why you needed to be told before you tried to confront Orochimaru to save him. If that happened you probably would've been killed," said the eldest Uchiha. "The real question is; what do we do now? Personally, I think it's time we got him back." As the blond tilted his head back up, he swore he saw Gaara smiling at him.

"Yes! But the plans that we made are with Kakashi right now," the girl on the bed pointed out to him.

"No, no. Not _right_ now." The cutesy glance the couple exchanged made Naruto acutely and most uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was the only person in the room that was single. And the way he'd been dumped was pretty horrible too. It didn't make him bitter, though. It was just another painful reminder. "I mean we need to get set to go as soon as possible."

"What is the plan, anyway?" asked the only person that didn't know. Again, Neji shifted in his seat and sent the blond a sideways glance.

"To fight the Akatsuki." Straight away, everyone's head snapped around. People always seemed surprised when Gaara spoke nowadays. Even with Neji's support, he was still as quiet as a mouse. "To kill two birds with one stone." Maybe a few of them thought this would excite Naruto. No one thought his face would twist with anger or that he'd bolt up in his seat.

"What?" the blond practically shouted.

"Shut up, Naruto-san, or they'll hear you downstairs," warned Shikamaru. But Naruto was glaring at the redhead with little intention of lowering his volume.

"Why? We will die," he stated quite loudly. "You people might say I'm not good enough for Sasuke, but I'm good enough to know that even upsetting those is potentially lethal."

"Not good enough for Sasuke?" Sakura burst out, though more softly than the fox. "Who says that?" Several heads turned away at this, with small, awkward coughs. They weren't trying to be subtle, Naruto thought with a pout. Straight away, the girl blushed and her green eyes filled with concern. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Naruto. I think you and Sasuke went very well together. He really cares about you."

"They seriously will kill us," the blond insisted, trying to act as though he didn't hear what she'd said. There was a huff as Deidara rolled his eyes.

"Actually, we can bring them down," Gaara said, not backing down from the fox's vicious stare. "Truthfully, the Akatsuki is a group of unambitious criminals, lead by one guy. They'd disband if he disappeared, but to the authorities he's pretty untouchable because he's… protected in high places."

"Yeah," interjected Itachi, his lip curling slightly. "By people like my father." A shudder rolled across the room at the thought of Fugaku, and of course his son's warped senses.

"We have the resources to do it, but the police are too 'high ranking' to get away with it. Everyone knows it's harder to deal with small fry like us," Neji added. Even if he'd understood before, this was getting to be quite a bit too heavy – in fact so heavy that it was weighing down Naruto's brow as he frowned at the brunet.

"How does… how does that work?" Fortunately, the forgiving boy simply gave the blond a grin.

"It means we have a way to get Sasuke back, you ignoramus," Shikamaru snorted, flicking a hand. "Can you please shut up and trust our judgement for once?"

"No offence," the blond sighed, "but last time we got absolutely wasted and we were only up against Sasuke."

"Shut up and trust us," the brunet repeated. "Our plan is so gutsy that the bastards won't suspect it. If we tried to ambush them it'd be obvious and they'd probably have a counter plan. We can be better prepared if we go to them." For another few seconds, the fox frowned at the dog before he opened his mouth speak, but Deidara butted in.

"Everyone wants to do this, Naruto, except Tobi – but he's cowardly anyway. Even Hinata and Ino and that want to do their bit," he said, his normally playful eyes subdued and serious. "Priority one is to look after each other, priority two is to get Uchiha and priority three is to take out whoever their leader is."

"Wait, Deidara. Just wait." The fox's voice was low and soft all of a sudden, and his eyes avoided his friend's fearfully. "We shouldn't do this."

"Shut up, Naruto," came a sharp hiss, as the eldest Uchiha whipped around to the boy. "I'm guessing you're trying to be noble, and suggesting we shouldn't risk more lives for Sasuke's? Well that's _my_ little brother that's turned into a murderer with his entire family in his palm. It's not justsomeone's brother or friend we're trying to rescue – it's the vision that we had. Do you have any idea how many bodies there are piled under our family name? Do you? If he stays this way that pile of bodies will only grow faster. And second of all, the plan is going to work. You're going to help us, or we'll leave you behind." There was a chilled silence, as the raven watched Naruto with his eyes bleeding poison.

"You think you intimidate me?" snarled the fox, his lips curling back. "Have you even realised what we'd have to do? If this doesn't work, he'll go to jail for the rest of his life. But if he resists, we can't let him escape with his life, and he _will_ resist." Chest burning with hostility, the Uchiha took a long step forward, despite the small noise of rebuttle from his girlfriend. Equally fired up, the blond got to his feet as well, but Neji rose simultaneously and gripped his shoulder. "You might have the stomach to let our friends lose their lives, but do you have the guts to kill Sasuke?"

"If you say anything other than to agree to help us at this point, I'll kill you quite happily," Itachi drawled back. As if to emphasise his point, the sable-haired Uchiha rolled the sleeves of his shirt up his muscled arms.

"I'll help. Of course I'll help," sniffed the boy, brushing away the brunet's hand and sinking back down into the sofa. "I'm not changing anyone's mind. No one listens to me. And obviously I want Sasuke back as much as anyone."

"Hn. Well…" Shrinking down a little, the young man moved back to his seat. "That's not true. Sasuke listens to you." The boy frowned a little at this backhanded comment. "I think if we do get Sasuke back, he's going to be pretty miserable." Pleased to hear Itachi backing down, the girl tried to cheer the fox up with a comforting smile, but he was shaking his head, his sad blue eyes staring at his shoes.

"But what if he doesn't listen to me?" he mumbled. "After our big fall out, he never stopped beating himself up about it. Not even for a second." The image of Sasuke's face pouring with blood as he glowered up from the wooden floor of the gym was clear in his mind as he spoke. "I don't know if there's anything I can say to him if I ever see the real Sasuke again." Once again, a sombre silence had fallen over the room, as Naruto's eyes finally rose and locked with Itachi's. "I guess… I do want to make that hideous syndicate pay for what they've done to him." He really did. He wanted to punish every last one of them. But his heart froze in sickly fear when he thought about what would be left of the raven when he finally got to him. And when he looked back up and saw a room full of pale, nervous faces, he realised that this fear wasn't just his own. The thought that they were fighting for something that barely even resembled the Sasuke that they cared about scared them far more than the thought that their plan may fail. Because then they would have been too late.

**Next chapter is the third to last chapter. You may be hoping for a good ending or a bad ending - feel free to guess whether it'll be good or bad without ruining it for other people ^^**

**Please review this chapter.**

**I need reviews to live.**

**They help me to breathe.**

**And to type!**

**Also you can 'like' the story on facebook if you have the time. The page is empty but I like drawing and I'm going to do some story based pictures haha it'll be fun.**


	18. Nocebo

**I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**

**THAT'S RIGHT!**

**IT'S ALL ABOUT ME!**

**FUCK THE STORY!**

**Anyway I'm back so that's quite nice. It has been a gruelling wait for all of us, I'm sure. I'd like to explain. I've had a really AWFUL year, and despite being a 'highachiever' I am quite laid back usually and this year got to me and my grades basically plummeted. I mean, I don't give a crap about that kinda thing and that wouldn't have stopped me from writing. Actually, lately (you don't really need to know this but I don't want anyone grilling me for taking ages) I've had some self esteem problems and was sick for several months after quite a long time of build up. However, in the last few days I've been feeling quite a bit better and I was almost finished the story so I got the last chapter down.**

**I'm a freight train writer, but I crashed quite severely and repairs took a while.**

**In fairness though, this story ended up being about 160000 words. That's novel length, or at least close, so I still feel pretty good about my speed and think I could almost top the pros... jk just rowling ya :P**

**Lame jokes aside ... * cough * * cough ***

**This chapter is THE LONGEST by far. Twice as long. It was like... 21 pages (20 1/2) on Microsoft Word.**

**So... if you're reading this late at night or something... I hope you have some redbull. That's all I'm gonna say.**

**Enjoy.**

18 – Nocebo

"Orochimaru-sama! Welcome back." The young man looked across at the lowlife criminal running toward him from the hideout, and he shuddered slightly.

"What makes you so sure it's Orochimaru?" he asked, a smirk sneaking across his pale lips as her eye twitched in hesitation. "I do wear this body much better than that pathetic Uchiha did." For a moment, it crossed his mind that he should flirt with the woman – she was probably a crazy psychopath, but at least she was quite pretty. But as he tried to check her out, by running his black eyes over her, his interest dissipated quite quickly.

"You do look very… sexy, Orochimaru-sama," the lunatic brunette giggled, noticing the eye he was giving her. Now that he looked again, she really wasn't attractive at all. She looked like a drug addict, with bags under her eyes, slightly yellow skin and teeth. Beautiful eyes though – beautiful blue eyes. It was probably when he noticed her fiddling with a red-rusted razor blade that he completely decided she was far too… everything for him. "What are you looking at me like that for? Do you fancy another go, now that you have a younger body?" _Another?_

"Piss off." Before the girl had time to get incredibly upset and worked up by this, his arm grasped the lapels of her ragged blazer and wrenched her forward. She didn't weigh much, he thought as he lifted her slightly and expelled her to the side. Their was a loud thud as she hit the dust, but Sasuke's pace was now much too quick for her to catch up with, especially seeing as she was lying on her back, with the wind knocked out of her somewhat.

"Bastard!" she wheezed after him, before pulling out the razor blade again and brushing the edge with the tips of her fingers (still lying on the floor). It was something she quite enjoyed doing.

When he thought about it, the snake vaguely did remember sleeping with her previously, when he was in his last body. Each time he swapped bodies, memories would often return quite choppily and some not at all, unless he was reminded. Sleeping with her though… he wasn't sure if he even wanted to remember that. But of course, the more he tried to stop those memories coming back, the more that they did. It just about made him wretch, and he snarled at Pein as he met him at the doorway.

"Some of the people here make me sick," he hissed, trying to push past his real pupil, wincing as his shoulder was touched. "Where the hell is Madara? I need to gloat." Huffing, Sasuke spun around on the spot and began tapping his foot.

"You look a bit like an impatient teenager when you do that," someone said. When he turned around he realised that this someone was a white haired man wearing glasses with a very aloof smile on his lips. "Oh yeah," he said, giving Sasuke the point with his finger and a little wink, "it's all part of the disguise, isn't it? Good work. Keep it up."

"Hilarious," sniffed the young man, as the other man spun around and waltzed off down the corridor. Suddenly, the man swung back around and fixed him with a serious stare.

"Oh yeah. And is there any news on that other thing yet, Orochimaru-sama?" Lip curling slightly, Sasuke raised his chin.

"What _thing_?" he hissed.

"Whether or not it was pedophilistic to be inside little boys." Oh. That other thing.

"F-fuck off!" gasped the snake, his face absolutely fallen as though he'd just been kicked down stairs. "You audacious little-"

"No news? Damn. Well let me know when they have more information, okay? Okay," the smart-ass continued, giving him another point before spinning off again around the corner.

"Kabuto was right," said Pein, putting a hand on the raven's shoulder and pointing him down the hall in the direction of the 'meeting room', which was really Madara's personal training room. "You really do lose your sense of humour around him after a bodyswap. Enjoy your celebratory drinks." Of course – that was Kabuto, Sasuke realised, his glare relaxing somewhat as he continued down the corridor. Pivoting on his heel, he let his hand drop heavily onto the door handle and pushed the door open.

"Orochimaru. That is you, correct?" As the boy's dark eyes fell on the true form of Madara, the leader of the Akatsuki, he froze for a moment in the doorway, but he quickly recovered and walked over to pull up a seat just across the table from the shadow.

"It's Orochimaru. Uchiha was decidedly easy to play," he smirked, as the legs of his chair ground against the floor. Unsmiling, the figure nodded, a pair of black eyes staring right into the raven's chest. "Is everything alright, Madara-sama?"

"Everything is perfect," slurred the man, a tiny smile finally finding its way across his thin lips. Suddenly, his eyes flicked up. "Good work. I didn't even tell you this, but I don't think you could have selected a more convenient target. I regard the Uchihas with loath. They are filth – most of them, anyway." Sasuke raised an eyebrow and leant back in his chair. Sensing his confusion, the man with wild, dark hair nodded again and continued. "I am especially grateful that you convinced him to take his disgusting bastard father out of the picture as well."

"And why is that?" asked the boy, his dark eyes almost bored as his pale fingers gently ran down the shaft of the wine glass in front of him.

"Now, I suppose you may as well know that I am in fact an Uchiha." There it was again – the small spark of curiosity in the snake's eyes as he sat back up in his seat and frowned at the shadow, who was now smirking. "My position does help keep our group immune from the law. I am Fugaku's cousin. It was _my _father that was the chairman when I was a boy. However, I was always considered weak because I couldn't perform a magic trick and turn into some hideous reptile, so they gave it to somebody that could. It's something to be expected from rich families – but they had no idea how strong I am. I was born with the ability to take whatever I want, and so therefore I will." A smile was beginning to tug at the corner of Sasuke's lips as well, so he masked it by pushing his wine glass to his lips. To his surprise, he just about downed the glass in a split second. Clearly the previous occupant drank like a fish.

"And what is it that you want? If you want to take control of the Uchiha's and their assets, then that would be no problem right now," he said, placing the glass gently back onto the wooden table. "After Uchiha Fugaku's funeral the chairman's eldest son took the responsibility of running the family."

"That is all I want, actually," replied the man with a slight sigh as he began to fiddle with the rim of his own glass. "I want that power. That, and I want to throw the chairman's wife and son into poverty." Then, out of nowhere, something in the snake's heart twinged. There was something cold and excessive about his master's desire that made him annoyed. But he knew better than to say anything, even if ruining the lives of Sasuke's mother and brother did feel like spitting in the face of the soul he'd just expelled. That wretched boy had given Orochimaru all that he could yield. This just seemed like overkill. "I'll make their lives miserable. It'll be worse than hell – I'll make sure of it. Even Fugaku will have got the better side of the deal." Madara was still nodding to himself like a madman. "That will solidify my place and purify the family name."

"I'm at your disposal, of course," Sasuke said with a soft smile. "Bearing in mind that I can't actually move my right arm."

"You will be able to soon," the shadow replied, "or else I may replace you." Biting his lip, the snake reached out for the bottle of wine and poured another glass for himself and topped up his master's.

"To loyalty," he began, but Madara just rolled his eyes.

"Right. No more mucking around, okay?" Kakashi growled. "It's serious now – no playing the sadder than thou game. It's not a competition to see who cares about Sasuke the most. It is a team effort to save Tokyo from a potential menace and hopefully rescue a friend in the process."

"But if it was a competition, I definitely care about Sasuke the most," chirruped Ino, waving her hand in the air. "We're so tight!"

"Ino, you're saying that in front of _me_. And _Gaara_. Not to mention his _older brother_," Shikamaru pointed out, giving her an incredulous look.

"Shikamaru and Ino! What did I just say?" Kakashi snapped. And he wasn't the only one at the end of his tether. The cold wind added to their bitterness as they huddled together out in the centre of the sports field. Mud caked their shoes from the water logged earth, and two of the trees that lined the pitch had tipped over. On the news the poor weather was explained by a cyclone in the south that had reached Japan as heavy rain and gale-force winds. For at least the rest of the day it was supposed to be relatively clear, but the rain and wind was expected to return the next day, potentially leading to large puddles and partial flooding of poorly drained areas – like the school field. Yet despite this predicament, every last member of the STR was out in the cold and dirt, waiting for go.

"No one is sadder than me," sighed Naruto, huddling up to Sasori. In response the brick haired young man seemed to snort slightly, but he continued to stare forward.

"Naruto! Just," the man tried to say, but the words in his chest were so volatile that he couldn't let them out. Instead, he just strangled the thin air in front of the fox, before letting out a huge breath and continuing. "I want to gauge just how many of you still aren't sure where you are supposed to be when we face the Akatsuki."

"Are you mad?" someone suddenly burst out from behind Itachi. As everyone looked around, their eyes all fell on Tobi. "I didn't realize that _we _were going to fight the Akatsuki! I thought that's what you and Itachi were doing! I don't want to put my life on the line for Uchiha – the same guy who just about strangled me to death."

"Baka. You aren't putting your life on the line, un," said the ferret, frowning slightly at his cowardly friend. "All you people have to do is hide and tell us if anyone comes in, and you'll have people to protect you, un. It's people like me, Sasori and Naruto that are endangering ourselves."

"What?" the raven gasped, his shocked eyes still looking far from convinced. "You are ex_cluding_ me?" Clearly he couldn't be pleased.

"Well," Sasori began, scratching his head. This was getting to be quite awkward, as people were beginning to form a circle of eyes around them. "You _do_ sometimes say that maybe… you aren't very close to Uchiha," he said, tactfully avoiding words like 'always' and 'hate'.

"I don't care what you do, Tobi!" Kakashi practically spat. "If you want to help, you can join STRB and help them keep an eye on the perimeter. STRA will go inside and attempt to seize the base and encourage the police to help. STRX should all be clear anyway. If you ensure you do what you are supposed to be doing, STRB, your team will be perfectly safe."

"Sweet!" the fox barked, clapping his gloved hands together. "Now lets all get some police tranquilisers. Yay!" The frown adorning the raven's face had now turned to a dark glare.

"Do what you want. I'm not helping Sasuke," he huffed, turning away.

"But Tobi…" Tobi simply ignored him, shrugging the fox off as Naruto reached for his shoulder. "He's my friend."

"Damnit, Naruto – we're your friends!" snapped the boy, whipping back around suddenly.

"So help me!" the blond pressed, his bright eyes determined. And despite this, the raven seemed unmoved.

"I'm trying to. You all need to snap out of this and accept that he's not coming back," he said, his voice even and cold. "Good riddance, too. All he did was cause trouble, and all of you know it." Straight away, the stern Uchiha tried to make a step toward Tobi, but Sakura's hand gripped tight around his arm. Even Naruto's face flickered with anger at this.

"Shut up, Tobi!" Tenten hissed, folding her arms. "Don't you see how Sasuke is the victim here?"

"He's a stirrer and a villain." Somehow the raven seemed less than aware of all the daggers stabbing into him at that moment. "All he's ever done is messed with us."

"Sakura, hold me back," Itachi growled. Too furious to say anything without shouting, no one said anything except to tut or snort. Kakashi's face was in his palm.

"I'm out of here. Anyone with even one brain cell should come with me," Tobi muttered, retreating out of the circle of simmering emotions. His hopeful eyes met with Deidara's for a second, but the ferret turned his head away with his lips downturned.

"Well…" Kakashi's exhausted moved across to Shikamaru as trouble mark one was far enough out of earshot. "Good luck to you Kakashi. Gaara and I are going to get ourselves ready, so we'll see you later." Initially he had wanted to go with the others, but at the same time, he didn't want Gaara to feel alone. That was why he volunteered to help out, even if it was troublesome.

"Shikamaru." Bored eyes lifted from the grass as Naruto's gruff voice reached his ears.

"What now?" At first the fox's lips were pale and his eyes were grey, but he gave the dog a warm smile.

"Just wanted to say that I hope we can be better friends later," he said, as a gentle 'awww' settled over them. Despite this, the brunet's face remained hard as he stared back at the blond. Gaara seemed to wince slightly, as his eyes shifted from Naruto to his friend.

"Yeah," Shikamaru replied dryly. "We'll see."

"Aw come on, Shikamaru," Kiba groaned, as the dog gave them a dismissive wave and pushed Gaara's wheelchair out of the circle. "Don't be so troublesome."

"Yeah – don't be so troublesome," agreed Tenten with a snigger. Temari let out a huff and shot her a glare, but it went unnoticed as the brunet paused and looked back around to Naruto.

"Just get going," he said, his expression unwavering.

Sasuke smirked. "Going where?" he asked, a sneer twitching on his white lips. "I'm not going anywhere."

"You need to go somewhere for the time being," Madara muttered, his hard eyes burning into the wall beside him. "Uchiha's baggage is persistent, and there is no way to deal with them short of killing them. If you don't want to lay low I don't really give a damn – but that depends if you want to be involved or if you'd rather distance yourself."

"I'll stay. I thought you knew me, my lord." His pale face was half in shadow as he stood in the entrance to headquarters, lighting up the whites of his eyes. "This is irresistible to me." As he cast his eyes away from his leader he felt a familiar taste on his lips.

"Everyone's fallen back, with orders to focus only on the ones who can transform when they arrive," the master continued, looking out to the grey evening skyline as Sasuke did. "So thoughtful of them to save us the trouble of going to them, but, all the same. We can definitely deal with Itachi's abilities and so on, but what the fuck are we going to do about Minato? He's not in a stable emotional state as it is, and if he's realised what we've done to his son then he may do something irrational." The raven's eyes narrowed as he took a sharp breath. Any surprises from the police could really turn the tables out of their favour.

"They're not going to find the body for a long time. That spot is unknown to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police isn't it?" But Madara shook his head.

"If the police do show up, we need to make it clear that you are the murderer. There's no need for the whole syndicate to take the heat for your actions. As a friend of the family too – they may take pity on you. Minato knows how much Fugaku fucked Uchiha up. Potentially."

"It may help then, to know that Sasuke and Naruto were together," he said suddenly. "Briefly. It's difficult to concentrate on them, but I can connect to some stronger memories."

"You have to be joking," the man sniggered. "So what makes someone gay? Is it their body or their soul?" At this the young man bit his lip, slightly nervous to meet Madara's eyes.

"I don't know." He had an idea.

"Well is the body controlled by the mind, or is the mind controlled by the body?" asked the raven-haired man, raising an eyebrow at his subordinate.

"I don't think I'm gay," he lied. "Surely the mind has precedence over the body?"

"Until I met you I thought that mind and body were the same," the other smirked. "It's an interesting _theory_ that you have, Orochimaru. The theory that souls can be moved about independent of the original body fascinates me. But it's crap – all of it – as I've told you before. It's all in your head." Snarling slightly at his master, the snake shrank into the shadows slightly.

"This may appear to be Uchiha-san's head, but it is _mine_," he hissed. "You can't suggest that the boy _wanted_ me to take his body for my own."

"It makes no difference to me who's behind the wheel – just as long as it's Orochimaru." Too confused to reply, the shadowed young man frowned and stroked the knuckles on one of his hands. "Whichever way you look at it, you are Orochimaru. That's fine with me, even if it is all in your head."

"What are you talking about? Do you have any idea how old I am? Over four hundred years. Four hundred." Even though he was beginning to feel aggrevated, Sasuke couldn't even tell if this was meant to be an argument.

"Yes. It is a great accomplishment," Madara agreed, with a genuine seeming nod. "Four hundred years since the birth of your mind, and you've kept it going for all this time. With your sanity remaining basically intact, I wonder how much your actual personality has dissolved over the years."

"You think I'm _diluted_?" the raven snorted, but the man's smile only grew.

"I think you're a different man each time you leap, Orochimaru. Not so long ago the thought of murdering youth disgusted you, yet you stay and claim a bloodlust that almost comes in par with my own. Perhaps something Sasuke passed to you," he sniggered, perfectly aware of how unlikely it was to have come from Sasuke. And he in question was starting to feel his heart rate increasing with every word. "But in regard to the problem that is Uchiha Itachi – I need you to use Sasuke's body to lure him away. If possible, convince him that chasing you is a hopeless cause."

"Of course," growled the snake in a very low voice. His eyebrows were knitting together as he stared at his master, but he was still struggling to grasp whether or not Madara was trying to tell him something. Maybe over time his mind was wearing away. But he knew he couldn't be one to let it bother him, especially while his mind still reigned over the boy's body. "I'll get it done for the good of the syndicate." It's not like he'd get it done for the good of himself. If there wasn't the risk that the police would involve themselves in a less than comfortable manner, he'd be very happy to kill Uchiha Itachi.

"This is it here – a valley over." SRTB nodded, all of them geared up like trampers – except that trampers don't carry tranquilisers or walkie talkies. SRTA – consisting of Naruto, Kakashi and the other transformers – had already gone, but none of them needed tranquilisers. They could be seen leaping up the rocks of the hill, slinking around boulders and over the lips of the cracks. Neji nodded back to them, his brow furrowed and his face hard. "We're going to rendez-vous with them in a bit, but at the moment they're going ahead to make sure that the perimeter is clear. Then we have to stop any Akatsuki weirdos from entering by tranquilising them or something, or radioing someone inside the base."

"Wow," enthused Ino, her cheeks blushing. "This is so exciting! Maybe I'll get to use some of my kick boxing moves on some criminal."

"Or I could sit on them," Choji joked with a grin.

"It's so nice," Kiba stated suddenly, as everyone turned to look at him, "to think that so many of us are willing to pitch in and help our classmate."

"I admire your positive attitude," drawled Neji, signaling Kakashi that they were soon to follow (who was on the pinnacle of the rock most of the way up the hill). "Okay. It's time to go. Look out for your buddies and stay in contact."

"Roger that," Shikamaru murmured, looking quickly around the bustling mall for a cheap costume store. "Black feathers coming right up."

"Also on this list is… well we have the bottle of milk," Gaara murmured back, pulling out a crinkled sheet of parchment. "and we have Naruto's thingy. I think that's it."

"That's all, yeah. We don't really have time to get the other crap, so we'll just make do without." With large sigh, the brunet cast his eyes down to his friend. "I just really hope this can bring Sasuke back. We've really invested everything we have to this."

"It will work." A pang of surprise hit the dog at the warmth in the redhead's usually vacant eyes. "You're a genius, Shikamaru. We couldn't have done this without your brilliant thinking." For a minute, the young man simply stared down at his friend, as though he meant to say something but couldn't quite find the words, and his eyes gave away nothing. Finally, he took a sharp breath.

"Gaara," he said, after another brief pause, "you know that you are Sasuke's best friend. I was close to him too, but not like you were. Even so, I still feel like I am shouldering so much of this guilt, and I can't even imagine how you must be feeling. But it wasn't your fault you were incapacitated like this. All it means is that the way you can help Sasuke is going to have to be limited to your words. And ususally, your words are limited." Sad eyes shifted away from Shikamaru's as the advice settled on his mind. All he'd managed to do was exhaust himself with worry. "All I'm saying is, I know that you know what to do when the time comes. So for now, stop being so hard on yourself. It's like Naruto and Neji have said – none of this is your fault."

"I had the power to help, and I didn't," he stated, his voice tinged with solemnity. "It's not what made Sasuke turn sour. It's what let him turn sour. I'm going to own that. You and Neji need to let me." He made his point and he was firm, as he fixed Shikamaru a deeply serious stare. The dog stared back with an equal sense of gravity. Having to suddenly binge on so much worry was beginning to exhaust him.

Like an icy trickle of water was running down his spine, Naruto gave a sharp shudder. Needles felt like they were slicing into their faces as the wind thrust the droplets of rain down on top of them. But compared to an evening where it would be sensible to post guards around the perimeter of the headquarters, this weather felt as good as sunshine. His tiny, soft body slinked around the edge of the boulder as he took a quick glance to see the others following him. Again, he was ironically glad to find that he could barely see the beady eyes of the other animals, or the subtle figures blending into the shadows way up above him. Amber discs shot back around to check the distance between them and the small, rusty door almost hidden against the dusty walls of the complex. It was still a decent dash across the rough grass though, and his view was being blocked by that annoying rock he was hiding behind. Suddenly, there was a warm prickle, making his ear flick, and he just about leapt out of his fur as a silvery wolf pattered softly up next to him. A heavy paw came down on the top of the fox's head, pushing it down so his chin touched the ground, indicating to Naruto that Kakashi was wanting him to 'stay put'. Then the wolf darted forward so quickly that it was most of the way across the no man's land before the fox could even shake the dirt off his head. In only about five seconds, the wolf managed to sprint across to the shadow of the wall. Before the man had transformed, Naruto knew it was time to follow, and with a hiss to signal the others he stepped out into the wind as well, breaking into a heavy run. Again, it only took a handful of seconds for all of the group – except Temari and Sasori, who were considerably slower – to make it across the seemingly large area of open land and through the door into the darkness, the human Kakashi holding it open. As soon as Naruto was inside, he let his body retake human form, feeling the sudden changes as his senses were dramatically dulled. There was no way he was going into the fire as a tiny wee fox. Right behind him were Itachi and Sakura, the jet black snake and the little mouse. Both of them transformed the second they got into the door and they pushed themselves up against the wall beside the blond.

"I am getting the feeling that things may be going a little too well," the Uchiha murmured to Naruto, fixing the boy with his glowing red eyes.

"What do you mean?" the blond muttered back, as Deidara slipped up against the wall opposite and stared down the empty corridor before them. "This is ideal, isn't it?"

"We may have already been compromised." The fox's blue eyes widened slightly as the wiser Itachi laid down this new (or at least to Naruto) possibility. "We should go in groups in case we need to save each other from some kind of ambush."

"Okay," Naruto agreed, though not really understanding what he was agreeing to. "I'll go with Deidara and Sasori, and you others can go with Kakashi."

"No," the alfa male growled, shaking his head, "Sakura and I will go with you and the others can go with Kakashi. I'm the one who's going to find Sasuke, and then we're going to need you." The fox felt an uncomfortable twinge as he heard Sakura give an irritated sigh, but he shook it off and gave the raven the nod he was after.

"Hey – what's going on?" came a whisper, as the cousins appeared beside them.

"We're going to search the eastern sector and you are going with Kakashi to check out the western sector. Stay in contact." Naruto was already poised and ready to go by the time Itachi signalled him to move, but the Uchiha pulled him back by the shoulder, taking the lead himself. His legs were so jittery beneath him that he would jump even when a light flickered as they crept down the long hallway. It was like they were climbing down the throat of the Akatsuki, into the burning centre. But it was worse than that, and far more terrifying. His already broken heart still felt vulnerable, and it was cold with dread. Somewhere in this shit hole, Sasuke had this crazy life that he was living. That bastard had abandoned him for a digusting thing like this. He'd defaced his own body with their mark. Even so, something inside the fox was excited, knowing that if they were ever going to get Sasuke back, it would be very soon. Finally, they reached part of the corridor that peeled off eastwards, but just as Sakura and Naruto were about to follow Itachi down it, the latter held out a hand to stop them. There was a grunt as the girl walked into the blond's back.

"They know we're here," rasped the snake, his eyes wide as he turned back to the others. "I can feel them moving at the south end of the building."

"Are you sure?" the fox growled back, quickly glancing behind to the girl.

"Then we should all go. I think we-" suddenly, there was a crash, and a shout. Before the three of them even moved, Itachi's radio burst into life.

"You were right – it's an ambush," came the gasping voice of Deidara. "You'll want to get here right now."

"Where are you?" he hissed, lifting the device to his lips. "Hokuto?" Cursing to himself as Naruto yanked his arm, his bright eyes telling him to hurry, he thrust it back onto his waist. "We came for him far too late. For my sake, Naruto, you need to succeed in your mission. I'll never be able to live with myself if this doesn't work."

Just as the fox turned to Sasuke's brother with serious eyes, he felt him freeze up and their eyes shifted as a smooth voice drifted down the corridor.

"Don't wait for Uzumaki to fail in his mission. I'll end your life now," it said, in the voice of a young male. Frozen as well, the blond could only catch Itachi's black eyes narrowing in anger, as there was the soft click of the man cocking his weapon. His heart seemed to go cold and heavy. This was far too soon to get caught. Then, he felt another jolt as his heart started to beat again. Sakura was gone. At least someone got away. "Turn around, Naruto Uzumaki." Jaw stiff as stone, Naruto slowly turned to face the man who had them at his mercy. "Don't try anything or I'll shoot the bastard behind you." Raising his hands slightly to show his compliance, Naruto's blue eyes narrowed at the silvery haired young man. Straightenting his glasses with his free hand, he gestured to them to face the wall. Naruto could feel Itachi growling beside him. "There's nothing more irritating than kids who think that they can be heroes. Do you realise that by coming here to save your friend, you're just making things worse?"

"What are you talking about?" the snake spat, his hands practically carving grooves into the wall.

"There is nothing left of your brother, you idiot. Nothing left at all. I've seen this happen so many times. What you're doing here is forfeiting the lives of all your friends, and I don't think that's what Sasuke would've wanted at all," the man slurred.

"Yes he would," the fox growled, glaring at a dusty crack. "He's a very selfish guy."

"You keep telling yourself that, kid." They could feel his smirk burning into the backs of their necks.

"No – it's really true," the other added, his heart jumping slightly as the cold gun pushed into the back of his head.

"Whatever. If he's worth saving at all, I assume he was the sort of guy that would be upset if his brother had a bullet lodged in his brain." For a cold, drawn out second, Itachi held his breath and shut his eyes. _Bang!_

"I-Itachi!" Naruto cried. He stared down at the motionless body for a moment, before his eyes moved to the figure standing over it.

"I am so sorry, Honey!" she gasped, immediately dropping the folded chair to the floor with a clatter. There was a groan, and Itachi rolled over onto his back, his hand clasping a swollen cheek. As for the man with the gun – he was out-cold on the ground next to him.

"Why did you have to wait until he was about to shoot me?" he moaned, pulling himself up on his elbows. "And why, oh god why, did you have to hit me as well?"

"I only just found something to hit him with, okay? And it sort slipped in my hands… I'm sorry." Almost as soon as her bottom lip began to jut out, the young man's dark eyes seemed to melt as he extended a hand to her pale cheek.

"I forgive you!" he gasped, pulling her into his arms. Rolling his eyes, Naruto gave a sharp huff. Face falling slightly, Itachi nodded in the fox's direction. "You're right. We need to get moving." As the pair stood up, Naruto pulled out his own walkie talkie.

"Deidara. Are you guys okay?" he muttered, peering down the corridor. For a while there was silence. "Deidara?" His blood pressure was quickly beginning to rise.

"Naruto – Deidara's down." It was Sasori's voice.

"W-what happened?" the fox rasped, only just becoming aware of the fact that he was running.

"We were on top of things, but suddenly some bitch jumped out while he was in the middle of beating up some tall dude and tried to stab him. He avoided it, but he took a rough beating when there were two against him. He's safe now." His voice was shaking slightly.

"Sasori, do you need backup?" he asked.

"N-no!" the radio cried. "We're on top of it. You can go and find Sasuke, because he isn't here. We saw him for a second, but he made a break for the west stairs. Kakashi's already gone after him." They were already headed west, the blond thought, speeding up a little as he felt Itachi overtaking him.

"Radio me if you need anything." Suddenly, the thought of Sasuke was swamping him again as he thrust the radio away. It was like a clawed shadow, tearing at him. Pure dread.

"Naruto!" came the fading voice of Itachi. Sasuke was close now. Without even needing to slow down, the fox dashed at the door and spun as his body began to change. As soon as the cannonball hit the wood it exploded, shattering splinters in all directions as the now beastly Naruto threw himself through it and smashed down the opposite door with his claws. He barely even noticed he transformed. He barely even noticed the doors. He could just see his Sasuke, a tiny smirk on his smug face and his hands on his hips. An insipid smile. It made the fox's heart pound almost violently. It made emotion course through his veins like rivers carving their impressions into his flesh.

"Hrrr…" he growled as he shook the rubble off his rippling shoulders. "That damn idiot!" Powerful claws plowed through the concrete of the ceiling like it was made of chalk, and even stronger legs sent him spinning up onto the second floor. Panting heavily, his amber globes surveyed the area. The corridors were even more twisting here, and not even much like a grid pattern. It would be a nightmare to search room by room. "Sasukeeee!" he roared, as his muscles seemed to tense and expand even more. Hungry eyes bulged in their sockets as he slammed into a wall, knocking it out in a cloud of concrete dust. "Show yourself!"

"How the heck are you still alive?" A single strand of saliva dripped down from the beast's lips and onto the ground as he froze. Slowly he turned to the voice behind him. "And by the way – it's Orochimaru now." The boy sniggered as the amber eyes narrowed to slit. Hot breath blew across his face, making his fringe flutter back, but Sasuke still didn't blink.

"Let go of him," growled Naruto, staring straight into the empty black eyes that were only inches from his.

"Or what? You'll kill me?" There was a sharp hiss as Sasuke's serpentine arm tightened around Kakashi's throat. The man's eyes were staring into Naruto's as well, but his face didn't seem at all afraid even as the venomous snake hissed in his face. "He can try and transform, and I'll inject him with incurable ve-" Suddenly, a clawed hand lashed out for the boy's arm. Grunting in shock, the raven's arm immediately withdrew and he threw his body weight back as a claw nicked his cheek, slashing him right from the corner of the eye down to the chin. "Bastard!" he gasped, wiping away some of the blood. "You really are trying t-" but before he could even see the damage the fox had caused the beast flew toward him with eyes blazing. His own dark eyes narrowing, Sasuke crouched down and sprang off to the side, flipping away just as the orange mass whizzed past, creating turbulence in his wake almost powerful enough to pull him into it. His eyes shot open as he turned back to see a giant silver beast and another pair of golden eyes shooting toward him. Bursting out into laughter, he let his snake-like reflexes take over his intincts, as he avoided the second attack by the skin of his neck. There was a loud crash and the sound of crumbling as the wolf collided with the wall, but the snake still took the hint to start running as the sound of scrabbling claws caught his ears. Face stinging in pain as he started down the hallway, Sasuke couldn't help cackling as he managed to sense their every movement just through the vibrations under his feet. "I haven't even trans_formed_ yet!" he cried, dropping down as another clawed paw flew over his head. With a smirk, he sent his fist straight up in a powerful punch as the weak part of Naruto's underbelly flew over his head. Right in the spot, he thought, as there was a yelp and the fox lost his footing. Still hurtling along, he began to roll and flip down the corridor, leaving a trail of dust and something that looked to be blood.

"I taught you to do that didn't I, Sasuke?" came an even deeper growling voice. Snarling, the snake whipped around to the Kakashi who was poised at the other end of the hall.

"So you know my tactics? Well I'll need to be wary of that in future." It didn't please him to answer to 'Sasuke', but the clearly weren't prepared to call him anything else. Suddenly, all three looked around as there was a loud crash somewhere in the vicinity.

"Master!" came a cry, and the smirk found the snake's lips once again.

"My subordinates are coming. How delightful."

"You aren't going anywhere!" Sasori snapped, throwing his heavy tail at the ape-like opponent before them. There was another bang as someone tried to shoot him in the eye, but it missed and deflected off his steel-like scales. A high squeal pierced the air as she – the gorilla hybrid – raised her rusted knife and tried to spin herself toward the enormous lizard. Anticipating her trajectory, the lizard lashed forward and snapped it up between his teeth, and he rolled straight away to disorientate it. It struggled, but his jaws were stronger than her as he tossed her to the side and finished the confused beast with a slam from the tail. No wonder he, Temari and Gaara had been labelled the 'tanks.' They were slow, but heavy and were near impossible to bring down. As his tail swung back, there was a cry as he brought the shooter with it, flinging him across the room. "I think that's all of the ones down here, guys," he told the other two, looking back around at Temari who was trying to revive the ferret.

"Naruto said there were more morphers here. We only encountered gorilla girl over there," Deidara groaned, pulling himself up. Shrinking back down to human size, the redhead sprinted over to his lover, eyes wide with relief.

"Are you okay?" The blond nodded, but his face was twisted with pain as he tried to pull himself up. His shirt had a bloody rip on his shoulder and his lip was coated with dried blood as well. Huffing very slightly at Deidara's apparent weakness, Temari took out her radio.

"Neji – it's Temari. Has anyone tried to leave the building?" she muttered, holding it close to her lips.

"Negative. What's your current status?" Neji replied. He sounded somewhere between bored and worried.

"We've knocked out and beaten the crap out of quite a few members of the Akatsuki – about fifteen. Itachi, Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi are chasing after Sasuke and there are still some dangerous guys hanging around that we're a little concerned about." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Deidara biting his lip. "We may not be in good shape to go after them, but I don't think we have a choice."

"Negative, Temari – hold your current position. We're coming to meet you now. The TMP are in position." A small smile pulling at her lips, Temari looked over her shoulder to Sasori.

"Okay. We'll stay here until you arrive, and then we'll take care of the rest of the Akatsuki." Shoving her radio back onto her waistband, she pulled herself up and looked across the various bodies scattered the room. "We'd better find somewhere to lock these people up before they wake."

"Naruto!" growled the wolf, his paws spread out as he readied himself to pounce. Sasuke's eyes shot between the canines, but he couldn't see an obvious point of escape between them. "You need to finish this – I'll deal with the newcomer." Before Naruto had time to react, Kakashi turned his massive body and sprang off down the corridor in the direction of the voice. Smirking as the white and grey tail flew out of view, the snake turned to the fox with an irksome smirk.

"Now what are you going to do, boy? You're outclassed," he simpered, flicking a hand.

"Not outclassed. Sasuke isn't stronger than me anymore. He hasn't been for a long time," the beast rumbled, amber eyes seemingly calm. "I don't want to hurt you, Sasuke. But if you don't leave here as a changed man, you won't leave at all."

"Oh – I'm so scared," Sasuke cackled, his hands on his hips as he took a step toward the dangerous creature. "Unfortunately for you, this now means that I may well be handing you back to Minato in pieces."

"Orochimaru uses ancient magic. It is unrefined and weak." Snorting, the raven turned his head away dismissively. "Sasuke is strong enough to still be inside you. I can feel that he's still there."

"And tell me, fox boy," he hissed, shooting an acidic glare back to Naruto with his eyes glowing red. "Why would you want him back, anyway? The Sasuke I knew was callous and his ambitions were dark, just like his father. A guy like him was always going to grow up into a monster."

"Sasuke is more like his mother than he knows. It's his cowardice that is hurting him, not his cruelty," Naruto said. "Or at least, I used to think that. Sasuke showed me what it means to be strong, but even with all his strength, isolation got to him in the end. Someone as deep as him probably would've lost it without any meaningful communication for so long." Jaw stiff as stone, the raven bore into the fox a little longer with his obsidian eyes. "Am I warm?"

"How should I know?" he snapped, as his flesh began to ripple and darken. "That'sss enough talk. You and your helplesssss causssse are asss good asssss dead!" Shaking his head, Naruto let out a hot puff of air before bounding toward the still transforming snake.

"You're too slow," he growled, grabbing the snake by the tail and hurling it toward the ceiling with a grunt. "I remember when you were quick." Legs springing into action, the fox leapt after the body as it crashed through the concrete roof with another violent crack and cloud of dust. As soon as he felt the scales in his mouth, his jaw clamped down and he tore the writhing body through the wisps of dust and into the fresh air. Claws pushing off the lip of the ceiling, Naruto shot into the air with black mass still dangling from his jaws. Dazed, the snake hissed wildly as they began to fall. Another sickening crack sounded as his body was slammed back down, and Sasuke twisted in agony as he felt his ribs popping. Whipping around, the mass of snake tried to lash out and bite whatever part of the fox he could reach, but Naruto had already dashed away to the opposite end of the roof. Pulling himself up shakily, the snake made a hoicking sound and he expelled a small bomb of black blood to the side.

"I'm sssstill getting usssed to thissss body. Cut me ssssome ssssssslack," he hissed, his tongue flickering.

"We both know that's not how it works." Suddenly, the mass of snake shuddered, turning away from him and he began to slide rapidly for the edge of the building. Naruto frowned. "Where are you going, Sasuke?" he muttered. In this form, it was possible that Sasuke could run too far from the building and they wouldn't be able to complete their mission. Anger coursing through his veins, the snake took a quick look at the fall below him. Perhaps it was too far to jump, and he was supposed to be leading Naruto away. Unlike Sasuke, he didn't feel like much of a fighter, even he was supposed to possess the skills.

"Fine!" it roared, throwing its tail back around and boring its deadly eyes into Naruto's. "If we're fighting then we're fighting. But I promissse you, I will not losssse." Tilting his head, Naruto pawed at the ground. Neither moved. The fox shuddered as he felt another explosion down below, and his ears twitched to the sound of the wolf scrapping with another large beast. Licking his lips, Naruto padded his way the the centre of the roof, his eyes still fixed to the snake, who was swaying on the spot. "You make me ssssick! I know all about what thisss body meant to you. It'ssss wrong, and dissssgusssting." Gasping slightly, the fox's lips curled and a low and terrifying sound rumbled from deep in his chest. "You two are nothing but disssgusssting faggotsss. All you want out of thissss battle isss Ssssasssuke'sss asssss! You'll never get that becausssse hisss body belongsss to me now."

"You aren't going to get me to lunge at you," the beast sniggered, looking over the snake's shoulder. "I'm not thick enough to let you knock me off the building."

"And I'm not going to you, either. If I can avoid a fight, I will," Sasuke replied coolly. Suddenly, there was a flash of red fur, and the snake dashed down as a concrete boulder whizzed past his head. Straight away, the fox grabbed another piece of rubble and hurled it, but the lightening quick reptile slid away. In its confusion, though, Naruto picked a chance to throw himself toward the snake, but… A spatter of blood burst from the fox's lips as a heavy pillar of flesh caught him in the chest and whacked him back the way he came. There was another boom as the ceiling broke below his back, and in a huge dust cloud he tumbled back into the second floor of the building. Trying to get his bearings, Naruto tore away the debris and scrabbled to his feet, but once again he was slammed by a weighty column of scales, knocking his head back against the wall. There was a terrible crack and the fox's vision flashed white as the cold flesh began to wrap around his body, constricting his movements. As his vision flickered back to normal, the fox tried to splutter all of the dust from his throat, but as soon as the blood and dirt was coughed across the room, he realized that he had just wasted his last breath and something tight was coiling itself around his chest.

"S-Sasuke!" he choked, as little air left in his lungs escaped. He was so dazed, slumped up against the wall that he couldn't even see the snake any longer – until finally, two gong-like eyes raised themselves above Naruto's head and a long tongue flicked across his muzzle.

"There'ssss going to be nothing left of our ssssyndicate sssoon," it hissed, shaking its large black head. "Your friendsss are sssstunningly powerful – I've never ssseen anything quite like it. I'm beginning to regret taking thissss body, consssidering the boy'sss alliesss, but there'ssss nothing I can do to return him to you." As Sasuke squeezed him tighter, the fox felt his limbs swelling painfully, like they could explode at any second. "Oncssse you passss out I'll return you to the policsse. I have no choicsse but to do ssssso. But if you chassssse me again, fruitlesssss asss that would be, I will kill you." Sure enough, Naruto's vision started to swirl with dark colour, and his thoughts became thick and slow. His body was screaming for air, and his lungs felt as though they were on fire. But if Sasuke couldn't kill him, then perhaps he could risk something that ordinarily he would never attempt. Just as he thought his eyes were about to burst from their sockets, the fox started shrink back down, as his ears shrank back into his head. As expected, the snake gasped and shrank away from the brittle body as quickly as possible. "Little bassstard!" Heart pounding in his chest, the tiny human stared up at the seething black serpent. But before the poor fox had time to transform, the heavy tail was thrown in his direction, and this time it truly was unavoidable. Naruto screamed as he was knocked off his feet and sent flipping into a pile of wooden boxes. As his already battered body was torn at by sharp splints and beaten by the powerful impact, the blond slumped down to the ground, totally still. All he could see was spots, as he moaned and rolled over in the wooden planks. His own hand, stained with blood was grasping at the concrete floor, trying to feel where he was.

"Sasuke," he gasped like a fish, trying to restore his breathing. He listened out for a response, but all that he could hear were footsteps coming toward him against the cold ground.

"You're weak now. Far too weak to transform, I imagine," came the now normal voice of Sasuke. Groaning, Naruto tried to look up as a shadow descended over him and the young man knelt down beside him. Smirking slightly, the raven brushed stray blond hairs from Naruto's blue eyes. "Your loyalty is surprising to me, but I admire it. However it's time for you to accept the truth of the matter, which is that I have killed Sasuke."

"Even if you took his body, that doesn't mean he's dead," the fox murmured, trying to keep his tired eyes fixed to Sasuke's pale, unfriendly stare. "I know your magic. My family has been researching this for years." For a moment, Sasuke's eyes wavered, and his lips trembled slightly as he drew his fingers away.

"Then why, Naruto? Why can't you just give up?" he muttered back, trying to glare. "I know you were in love with him, but I also know that he broke your heart – and that wasn't even the first time he'd interfered with your life. You know this, and surely you understand that he's lost to you, if you truly understand magic. So then why are you here?" For the first time in a long time, the words coming from the raven's lips sounded genuine. Suddenly, the blond reached out and took Sasuke's hand, making him gasp.

"It's because I…" Making sure his cerulean eyes wavered as much as possible, he weakly pulled the blushing raven in closer. "I…"

"You what?" Sasuke muttered, trying to glare away from Naruto. "Ah!" he cried, his eyes snapping back as a sudden pain jabbed into his arm. "Son of a –"

"I'm going to jab you with a needle," the fox finished, injecting the clear liquid directly from the syringe into the snake's arm. Eyes as large as pools, the raven stared down at the syringe in his lower arm, before Naruto yanked it back out with a sigh of relief.

"Shit," he laughed. "You got me." Sighing again, the blond collapsed back into a heap, and a moment later the raven-haired boy crumpled down next to him.

Panting harshly, Itachi pulled Sakura back with one hand and wiped blood from the corner of his mouth with the other. A sudden flurry of red and silver shot past, a gust of wind and dust in its wake, and the couple gripped onto the wall.

"Kakashi!" he roared, throwing himself after them as his body rapidly took on the form of a car-sized serpent, and the mouse was only a couple of steps behind, large fangs blazing. As the bristling blur threw the wolf against the wall with a thud, the unconscious beast sank to its paws and the wild eyes flicked up to the newcomers.

"You can't defeat me, you fools," it drawled, as Itachi and Sakura snarled. The fox yanked the hostage up by its silvery fur and smirked.

"We don't need to defeat you – we just have to slow you down," the rat monster growled, saliva from its sword-like fangs pooling on the ground.

"But I wouldn't be ssso sure that we couldn't, either," slurred Itachi, its eyes narrowing. "Two beassstsss ssstand more of a chancsse than one. You need to learn to put your money where your mouth isss." Snarling, Pein let its jagged-toothed jaw drop as if to challenge the Uchiha further, but as its black nose began to twitch its ears perked and its lips curled back.

"Who the hell is that?" he barked, as two figures darted across the corridor. Glancing around, Sakura felt her own heart leap.

"Gaara! Shikamaru! Good luck!" she called, as they disappeared up the stairs. Simultaneously, the serpent lashed toward the distracted creature. Gasping in shock, the monster spun away from Itachi's grasp in the nick of time, freeing his hostage. As the snake reorientated himself, the mouse flew over his head and gripped Pein's shoulders with its strong fingers, biting at whatever she could reach. A howl tore across the room as she sliced into the flesh of its face, but when he shook her off and batted her away with its muscled arms, only his muzzle had been injured. Wiping its nose as black droplets pattered to the ground, he awaited their next attack.

"Fuck you," it hissed, wincing.

"Oh jussst you wait until _I_ sssink my teeth into you!" the viper shot back, just as Sakura launched herself again. As the white fur catapulted itself at Pein, the monster was prepared for her and met her skull bash with a clawed hand. Gripping the top of her head, he deflected her to the side and let another paw shoot out and slash her across the chest, leaving four deep gashes. But her attack blocked Itachi from view, and he was right behind her.

"Sakura!" he felt himself gasp, just before he darted under the fox's swing arm. Like needles through fabric, the snake felt both his fangs effortlessly stab into the fox's chest, and he cried out in pain as the fast reacting monster sent two fists down onto his skull. Caught by surprise, Itachi's vision flashed white as his jaw cracked against the concrete. All he saw was a pale hand flecked with blood before his eyes started to swarm with colour, and he felt his body begin to shrink back to its normal size.

"You two… pack a decent punch," he heard Pein panting, and he felt a cold claw slide against his throat as he was rolled over onto his back. "You hit me… like a bullet through the brain… But now you must die." Blood felt like it was pounding through him so hard that he was about to die. It felt like fear. Shivering as the claw slit his skin on the corner of his throat, Itachi felt like his life was going to flash before his eyes.

"Sakura… run…" he found himself growling. It was too late for him. But time was frozen. The stiff claw rested on his throat like an arrow on a timer. And then there was the crazy thought that the poison had already taken its toll on Pein, and that he could survive, but… if he opened his eyes he would be disappointed and the creature would simply kill him. Suddenly his whole body froze as the claw moved slightly, and his muscles seized in anticipation. The creature groaned. One last shiver ran down his spine. Then Itachi decided to survive. Quick as a flash, he opened his eyes. As expected, Pein was still very much alive, but its mouth was hanging open and its eyes were glazed with concentration as it tried to fight away the feeling that fire was ripping through his veins. Prey. Itachi's blood turned cold once again and the snake pushed the shivering body to the floor. "I beat you!" he hissed, sliding up the monster's furry body and tightening around its chest. He could feel the fur retracting and the mass sinking beneath him, as the face of a beast became the face of a boy. "You poor kid. Get yourssself out of here, do you here me? You can ssstill sssurvive," he told Pein, who hissed.

"I'll get him out of here," came a voice, and the snake whipped around to see Kakashi pull himself to his feet down the hall. His hand was on the lower part of his back and he had a black eye, but Itachi had the feeling that he was in the best shape of all of them.

"No! I'd rather die than be helped by you," gasped the invalid, struggling against the scaled body.

"We don't care for the thought of helping you," scowled the wolf, stomping toward them. "You dying doesn't suit us. You may as well survive, don't you think?" Once Itachi had slipped away, Pein was pulled to his feet and his limp arms were zip tied behind his back. "How old are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? Don't tell me you really want to die." So many of Kakashi's pupils had been warped by misery that had consumed them. The raven wasn't surprised to look up and see such pity in the school teacher's eyes.

"You…" The boy's usually cold and focused eyes seemed confused and overcome with sadness. "Why could I never have had friends like Sasuke?" Then like he couldn't believe his own words, they shot open and he stumbled forward, clutching his head. "Nagato! He… he's…" Kakashi gripped the boy's shoulders and pulled him into a walk.

"Sakura, Itachi!" he barked, just catching the young man as he fell. Scooping him up into his arms, he ran away down the corridor, leaving the raven and the blossom-haired girl alone in the corridor.

"Sakura," the snake mumbled, his wide eyes falling on the bloodsoaked girl. Her eyes were closed, but her lips were slightly parted. Stumbling over to her, the raven fell to his knees and placed his fingers over her lips. As soon as he felt her warm moist breath across his fingertips, he sighed deeply. "Please be okay…" Pulling out his walkie talkie, pushed the button to call for help, his hands trembling.

"Itachi! Sakura!" came a sudden cry.

"Oh my god! Sakura!" Ino gasped, slowing for a moment before sprinting toward her friend. Temari, Deidara, Sasori, Neji and the others weren't far behind. Almost straight away the girl was scooped up by the strongest of the men and away from Itachi's arms.

"Please get her to a hospital," he pleaded, his heart chilled with dread. "I need to be with Sasuke when he comes to." Shaking his head, Deidara stopped him with a single look.

"We just heard. Sasuke isn't down. He and Naruto are still fighting even after injecting him with sedatives." Eyes widening, the raven only felt his resolve to find his brother strengthening.

"Then I need to help!" he growled, getting to his feet. It wasn't as though anyone was going to try and stop the man as he pounded off down the corridor toward the cloud of dust wafting from a serious battlefield.

"You've always been so damn stubborn, Naruto! Leave me be!" he heard his brother roar as he made it closer.

"'Always', Orochimaru? How would you know he's always been stubborn?" came the voice of Shikamaru. Sasuke blinked, pausing for a second. This gave Naruto another opening to send a punch for the raven's face, but it was blocked furiously. Whipping around angrily to the others, waiting for them to strike, the snake seemed almost drunken.

"I don't… remember," he drawled, circling his fists like he was turning a wheel and shifting his weight between his feet. "That worthless fool is dead now. Keeping some of his memories doesn't mean a thing." Rolling his eyes, the blond went in for some more, sending a high kick swinging at the side of the raven's head, but Sasuke grabbed his shin.

"Ack!" gasped the fox, as his body was suddenly sent corkscrewing into the ground. Spinning his legs around he flicked himself back up while forcing the raven to make way. "I'm going to get you, Orochimaru! Your old magic is no match for the powers my father has taught to me. I'll use them to free Sasuke." Sasuke raised an eyebrow with a slight sneer, glancing incredulously over to Gaara and Shikamaru who were both waiting for the fight to tip in a direction.

"Oh please. There's nothing you can do that I can't do better," he laughed, stumbling backward slightly, rubbing his shoulder. "I can do everything better than you can."

"No you can't." There was a sharp hiss as the snake's eyes narrowed, and Naruto looked over his shoulder as Itachi stepped into the light. Despite the elder's usually sharp and clinical contradictions he sounded more surprised that Sasuke would even say something like this, and his frown seemed heavy set on his brow. "How do you think Naruto survived your poison if his magic wasn't as powerful as yours?" Red eyes widening, the young man stared at the fox, as though he might be able to find a clue to his secret. "You were there. He was stone dead. And your old magic can't do anything like it." Watching as Sasuke raked his eyes up and down Naruto's body, the fox smirked.

"How'd you like to see it?" he purred, feeling prickles running through his body. Sasuke had held out for a short while against him, which had been amazing considering the sedatives and the reopened wound of the snake's shoulder, but now it was coming to a close. The raven was spent. His eyes faded to black as he swayed on his feet, and it was clear from his sharp breaths that breathing was painful. "Though you don't look like you can take much more, I'll still let you see – but then your Odyssey ends, Orochimaru."

"Fuck you," the creature hissed, spitting blood at the floor. Suddenly, his jaw dropped. "What… What the hell is this?" he roared. About twenty more Naruto's simultaneously sniggered, their blue eyes wide with mirth.

"It's over, Orochimaru," they said, their voices turning to growls as they slowly began to bubble and shift grotesquely.

"No!" As arms wrapped around his own limbs and pulled him to his knees, he simply melted with them. "Please don't take this body from me! Sasuke is the monster, not me. He's the one who betrayed you!" he gasped, as a wall of fox beasts merged back into a single Naruto. "He's a hopeless cause – he'll never be a good person. But I will change! Just give me a chance… And teach me what you know!" This really was the wrong body.

"Still so hungry for power," the fox murmured, as Itachi handed him Shikamaru's bag.

"We know you're in there, Sasuke," Gaara muttered into the raven's ear.

"That's right. We're going to help you to be free," said Shikamaru, hard eyes determined. Sasuke shuddered and shook his head trying to stay focused. This couldn't work! They couldn't pull him out… _Goodbye, Orochimaru. Thanks for keeping the spot warm for me. _For some reason, though the others didn't understand exactly why, Sasuke began to howl. He even shook when a bowl was placed at his knees and was filled with water. Taking a black feather and dipping it an ink pot, Naruto swept the quill into the shape of a black M above the water, and then leaning over the bowl he pulled Sasuke's head back by his hair, drawing three whiskers across each cheek.

"Orochimaru's evil soul will bleed through these chasms and soak into the seal. Then we shall wash it away with the water and you will be gone," he muttered, searching the boy's black eyes. "Mine have kept me free of evil. All I need to remove you now is to induce a memory. One memory." Heart pounding, the snake tried to force his mind to go blank. _I'm going to beat you. I can focus harder than you!_ "Sasuke," he continued, gently brushing the dark hair out of Sasuke's pale face. "We were at the carnival. It was your first time on the roller coaster, but you weren't scared. You weren't allowed to be, because you'd just turned eight and I was still only seven. Our family took you there for your birthday because the day before you started crying in my arms for no reason at all. You weren't throwing a tantrum – you just cried for a bit." As the snake calmed down, his lips sealed themselves closed and his eyes sank solemnly to the floor. "You wouldn't tell me why, just over and over again that you didn't want to go home." Naruto finally stopped, letting the short story sink into Sasuke's head. But the tired eyes were fixed to the ground, and his lips didn't move, even as the fox ran his thumb across the silky pink skin. Sighing, he reached into the bag and took one last thing from inside. "Do you remember, Sasuke? The happiest day of your life." It was a small picture frame. Two soft, smiling faces looked out at the pale wreck. Somewhere behind them was the twisting roller coaster ride, and the smell of ramen noodles in Naruto's tiny hands almost wafted into the raven's nostrils.

"He…" A small gasp burst from the fox's lips as his blue eyes shot to Sasuke's. "He's still in my head." Suddenly, an arm flew out and slammed the blond across the side. Shikamaru cried out as Sasuke shook himself away and threw his face at the bowl of water and pushed it inside.

"That's it!" Itachi shouted. "Hold him down in the water guys," he said, grabbing the back of the raven's head as water bubbled and splattered onto the concrete. "He can induce a stronger memory this way!" Exchanging worried glances, the two best friends soon pitched in, grabbing the boy's neck and and shoulders as he spluttered into the bowl. Naruto leapt to his feet, watching with wide eyes as Sasuke struggled not to breathe and tried to fight off the others. It would be easy to let him drown. With broken ribs as well… he was probably in agony.

"Orochimaru!" he shouted, attempting to speed up. "Your time in this body… ends… now!" Ripping his dripping face out of the water, Itachi pulled his younger brother back into his arms.

"Sasuke!" he roared, slapping the motionless boy's face less than gently. "Did you remember? Did you have a memory?" Suddenly, the raven seemed to splutter back into life, spitting away the water running from his face. Eyes shooting open, he squirmed against his brother and pushed away from the bowl as though it could explode at any moment.

"The seal! Destroy it!" he wailed, cowering into his arms. Without hesitating, Shikamaru kicked the bowl over onto the seal. As soon as the ink touched the water it distilled away into the cracks in the concrete. Tearing his eyes back up from the darkness, Sasuke stared straight at the vague black swirls in the puddle by his feet. No one moved, or said anything. The only sounds were the laboured pants from the raven as Itachi held him, and the plastic bowl clattering onto its front. And the sound of footsteps. Pulling his brother with him to his feet, Itachi began to turn to the newcomer.

"On your knees!" Suddenly, there was a noise like a firework and a spray of blood shot across the youngest raven's already tattered body. Screaming in agony as the bullet shot through the back of his knee, his brother fell to the floor.

"I-Itachi!" Sasuke gasped, as the gun wielder stepped into the room.

"Do you know what I hate more than freaks with bodies that shift into disgusting shapes? It's you tenacious fucking Uchihas!" the figure spat, dropping a clip out of his gun, sliding in another with a click and cocking his weapon. "With all your wealth, and your elitist ways… I hate every last one of you!" Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine like wild fire, making Naruto shudder and his muscles went limp. It couldn't be…

"Tobi? Is that you?" he spluttered, stumbling backward slightly. Stepping into the light, his dark haired friend gave him an ironic wave with his armed hand.

"Oh _hey_ Naruto," he chuckled, relishing the surprise on his friend's face. "You know it's really amazing how young you can make yourself look with a little makeup."

"What are you doing here?" He already knew the answer. At least, his shaking hands and weak knees knew.

"I'm here to kill all of you, of course," he simpered, waggling the gun in their direction. There was a gasp from Itachi as he tried to swallow his desire to scream. Shikamaru's brow furrowed as he moved himself closer to Gaara's wheelchair. "You… all of you… really fucked me over. I mean really!" The man's dark eyes were wide with fury, but his lips were smiling. Laughing, he gestured to Sasuke, whose eyes began to shift to red. "I was the one who pushed Orochimaru in the boy's direction. I needed a pawn to kill Fugaku without connecting me – a young school boy – to the murder. And I was going to get him to remove Itachi eventually. Then I'm already set financially. Then power – instead of going to the sadly insane youngest son – would go to me: Uchiha Madara!" A breath of surprise sounded in the room, but Naruto soon broke it.

"You won't last," growled the fox, his eyes fixed bravely onto the cold, emotionless ones of Tobi. "There's no Akatsuki here anymore. All you have is our dead bodies just waiting to be uncovered. Why did you tell us?"

"I am the _leader_ of the Akatsuki! If I don't have a following I can never make the position. You've ruined everything!" he spat, shaking the gun aggressively. Twisting his head, making his neck crack, he gave the coughing Itachi a grin and pointed the gun sharply in his direction. Without even hesitating, Sasuke stepped in front of his brother. Raising an eyebrow, Madara simply shifted his aim to Sasuke's forehead. "All that matters now is revenge. It's time for you freaks to learn your place." As the ringleader's arm straightened, the raven's eyes slammed shut.

"Sasuke!" he heard Itachi gasp.

"Sasuke, run!" came Naruto's growl, but the boy didn't move.

"No! I'm not letting him hurt Itachi!" he shouted, his eyes flying open and burning into Madara's. Suddenly, something appeared in the corner of his eye – a flash of red, just as the sound of the gunpowder exploding echoed around the room, along with Shikamaru's voice.

"Gaara!" Something heavy pushed Sasuke back and he toppled over his brother as a giant scaled beast took the blow of the bullet.

"Grab him, boys!" There was a gasp from Naruto.

"Dad!" Slowly, Gaara shrank down until he was nothing more than a boy lying on the concrete, and there was a soft tinkle as the bullet slipped off his skin. Looking up in shock as Minato jogged up to them and as men in black started dragging the criminal down the hall, Sasuke clambered off Itachi and clasped his brother's face.

"Nii-san," he whispered. Blinking slowly, the man seemed to let out a small chuckle. Behind them, Gaara was being helped back to his wheelchair by Shikamaru and Minato. "Are you in pain?"

"Not anymore, nii-chan." Reaching out, Itachi gently clasped the raven's white cheeks, smearing ink across the skin. "Get me to a hospital anyway, though."

"There's already multiple ambulances outside," came the voice of Naruto's father. "I suggest that all of you seek medical attention." Shaking his head, Sasuke ran a hand across his ribs. They were probably only bruised. Severly bruised, but he had taken all of Naruto's hits fairly well.

"I'm fine, sir," he said, careful eyes looking up into Minato's. "Sir… what can I expect?" Naturally he'd go to jail, or even be put to death.

"For what?" The radiant blond cracked Sasuke a grin. "Listen – you caused a commotion at truck stop and kidnapped a kid, okay? But you were being manipulated and to be honest no one can prove you were involved in the kidnapping after Zaku swore he'd say nothing of your involvement, so here's what I'm going to do:" he continued. The raven's eyes widened. Was Minato really going to let him off? "I'm going to let you off. I don't really think you're a menace, and you've had enough punishment. That's my professional judgement." Suddenly, the smile became a smirk. "And a pretty boy like you wouldn't last a day behind bars."

"Sir," the snake choked, trying to keep his gratitude under control, "you don't know what this means to me."

"However, Sasuke," he added, his eyebrow raised with warning. Just at that moment two medics ran in and moved straight for Itachi.

"Come and see me, nii-chan," grunted the eldest raven, as he was hoisted up onto a stretcher. Sasuke nodded, climbing to his feet and walking with his brother all the way to the door.

"As soon as I can, Itachi. I promise!" he called. His waving hand dropped to his side as his brother disappeared around the corner.

"We'll all be there, Sasuke," Shikamaru said, as he and Gaara appeared at his side.

"Like we always are, Sasuke. We'll be there for you." Looking down at the friend who had just saved his life, the raven felt his smile falter.

"Not that I deserve that," he muttered, casting his eyes to the floor. Shikamaru patted his mate's back.

"Hang in there, buddy. Hang in there." It wasn't as though Sasuke could give his friend eye contact. He couldn't even look up until they were well gone.

"However, Sasuke," repeated Minato firmly. Fear gripping his heart, the snake turned back to the Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Force and awaited his verdict. "If you _ever_ betray your friends or your family again, there won't be anywhere on this planet that you'll be able to hide." Sasuke swallowed, as his palms began to sweat. "And never forget what you put everyone through," the man continued coldly as he swept past the boy and turned up the corridor, "and what your father put you through." Shivering, the raven turned away, his eyes unable to tear themselves from the floor. "Don't let yourself become like that man was!"

"Was?" he found himself murmuring. The murder of his father wasn't even brought forward. How Minato was sitting on something so big, Sasuke had no idea – but he was doing it. "How can I repay him? Any of you?" He'd been avoiding it all this time, but he finally forced his eyes up. "Naruto."

**If you made it one go +200000 exp points!**

**Before you fall asleep, please please say nice things.**

**Yours,**

**the hard worker**


	19. Heroes

**I'm terrible at naming things. Guys, if you think that this story deserves more cred than it has, could you help out? I actually don't know much about getting my story read, but if you could share it on forums, or whatever you do even if it's a review, PLEASE do so! You guys know though, that I already love you just for the fact that you read this.**

**I am sorry for making you wait 3**

19 – Heroes

"Shut up." Naruto's bleeding lips were twisted into a snarl, and his normally charming blue eyes seemed like steel. And honestly, Sasuke had no idea how to explain himself.

"Listen, Naruto – all of that – everything – it wasn't me," the raven stammered, stumbling forward. Those drugs were still messing with his thoughts. Pushing the wet hair out of his face, he tried to search the fox's eyes for any sign of redemption.

"It was you the whole time, Sasuke! It was always you!" he growled, his whiskers turning jagged on his cheeks as his eyes bore into Sasuke's with fury.

"From the moment Orochimaru made me steal that damn medallion it's like I've been possessed, Naruto!" the boy cried, his eyes brimming with misery. For a moment, Naruto looked like he was about to scream at Sasuke. But suddenly tears began to flow down the raven's exhausted face. "I don't know what happened, okay? I lost control of my emotions. They took over me, like I wasn't even controlling my body. I might've just been going crazy. But that's what happened! I was me when we had our night together. But I saw Orochimaru again that day and his words encouraged it to get worse." As the raven's voice began to break, he had to tear himself away from the quietened blond and cover his eyes. "When they tattooed me, and when I begged them for power… and when I left you… hurt Gaara… when I kidnapped Abumi… and killed my father… it was all against my will. It wasn't until I realised I was being played that I felt in control again. But it was too late." His hands were shaking uncontrollably, but he felt too paralysed to sob. "I wouldn't do those things! It wasn't me, because I care about all of you. It was my father! It was all of his influence, and my need to prove myself. It's my weakness that let him hurt me, and I can't live this down. Not ever." The fox's pained eyes lingered on his friend for only a moment longer, before they sank to the floor as well. This shame Sasuke felt… was not something that an Uchiha was ever capable of recovering from.

"It's all good, un." Two heads jerked up as the familiar voice wafted through the doorway.

"Deidara?" The raven blushed, even more ashamed that someone he despised was now witness to his suffering. But there was no laughter in Deidara's single visible eye as he gently rubbed Sasuke's back. "What are you doing?" he muttered, not letting the hiss quite escape his lips.

"Listen to me, Sasuke," he said, not answering the snake's question. Naruto was simply gawping at his friend, not entirely sure what to make of what he was seeing. "We all know what it's like to feel out of control. If I'd felt as alone and as belittled as you have and then some weirdo came along and promised he could make everything right again, I'd have gone for it, un. Orochimaru only took advantage of you because you're special, and I guess your mind did strange things to get you to compromise on your morals. As you say – you weren't in control. So Naruto," he said, looking up at the fox, "the jerk is right. This wasn't his fault. Besides – he's an asshole, and whenever assholes get self-conscious they tell themselves that they're the bad guy. But don't believe that. Just give it another name, like 'trauma induced psychosis'."

"Th…" He really was bereft of words. "Thanks, Deidara." Somewhat confused, Sasuke fixed the surprising blond with a stare. "I still don't like you."

"It's no problem, Sasuke," the boy smiled, combing his fringe with his fingers. "Some more friendly advice before I go though – you need to do everyone a favour and move on from this. If you dwell in it you'll only burden others." Once again, the raven just looked confused. The ferret sighed. "You aren't the only one who feels guilty for what happened to you. We wouldn't have fought so hard if we didn't." When the snake still didn't reply, Deidara just smiled again, gave Naruto one last wave and headed out the door. "Take care of each other." There was a long silence as Sasuke stared sadly at nothing, and still stared furiously at Sasuke, until finally the fox took a deep breath and pointed a finger.

"Sasuke, I…" The hand relaxed for a moment, but the blond's eyes scrunched up as he gave one more speed think about what he had to say. With another the sigh, he clenched his fist and let it fall to his side. "I forgive you, Sasuke." At that moment, Sasuke's shaking knees finally gave way, his eyes flickering weakly as he stumbled to the floor.

"You don't have to do that," he growled, his dark eyes boring into the floor. A sigh echoed around the room, and the fox crouched down on one knee.

"Don't be difficult, Sasuke. You can be grateful all you want, but you have to accept that the only reason you aren't behind bars at the moment is because we know you don't deserve it." Tilting his chin up, the raven raised an eyebrow at Naruto incredulously, but his friend simply shook his head. "It could have been Itachi who your father rejected. You could be in my place right now and he would be in yours, and you would forgive him, right?" Narrowing his obsidian eyes, the snake huffed, and sat up.

"So you're asking me politely to not – I don't know – Hate myself?" he said, his voice still low, and his dark eyes still piercing. Shaking his head from side to side, the fox cast his gaze away.

"Well, I know this was a massive blow to your ego, and I know you're an Uchiha – but Deidara's right. You can't shut down on us." Blue eyes quickly glanced back at the raven's face, but he was still silent, his lips slightly parted. "Sasuke, I want you to be okay. Are you going to be okay? Because if you're not I'll look after you. We all will." Still, Sasuke's face was as stern as the face of a glacier.

"Why…" Slowly, a warmth spread across the raven's face, his eyes glimmered, and a smile formed on his lips. "Why are you so nice to me, Naruto?" Now it was the fox's turn to go blank. Raising his eyebrows at the sightless blue eyes, the raven shrugged slightly. "I won't hate myself. Thanks to me we just brought down the most dangerous syndicate in Japan!"

"Woah woah woah!" Naruto gasped, as the gears began to turn again. "What do you mean 'we'? What do you mean 'thanks to me'? We should've just left you there to rot to death thinking you're Orochimaru for the rest of your dam life!" Smirking, Sasuke's eyes turned sad once more.

"I wasn't being serious, Naruto. Except about one thing." Taking a deep breath, he turned his head away, but a warm hand clasped his chin and pulled him back. He rolled his eyes as the hand fell away, but stared willingly at Naruto. "I'm ashamed that I allowed myself to be manipulated and tricked. But I had to watch myself attack my own friends, break my love's heart, and kill my own father. And I've learned what true friends you all really are, and I've seen the face of evil. I'm horrified and disgusted at what happened, but now I know that I can't ever hate myself because I know that had I truly been in control I never would have done such terrible things. It's made me realise that I'm meant to be good."

"But," the fox started, watching the boy carefully, "you said you couldn't live this down."

"Well I couldn't!" Sasuke snapped, throwning his head away irritably. "I had succumb to my weakness. I'm not going hate myself because of it, but I won't let that happen ever again!" Staring at the raven in disbelief, the fox, grabbed the boy's arm and pulled him up to his feet.

"Well you'd better not. Dad threatened you, and he meant it too. If you even say the word 'power' in his presence he'll knock your teeth through the back of your skull," he sighed, pulling the snake's arm over his shoulders and wrapping his own arm around the young man's waist. "Let's get the hell out of this place. It makes me sick."

"I know what you mean," Sasuke agreed, as they pushed against each other and limped toward the door.

"You did what?" Neji breathed, his blank eyes open as far as they could go. Eyes just as wide, the lizard shook his head.

"I saved his life. I jumped in front of the bullet, like in the movies. It was less stupid when I did it because my scales were bulletproof of course." The brunet leaned in to Gaara with a smile smacked across his lips.

"We did it, Gaara," he said, the smile somehow growing even more. "We did it!" Despite Neji's enthusiasm, Gaara's face remained straight, yet he still planted a kiss on the young man's soft lips.

"You know I couldn't have saved his life if you hadn't saved mine," he whispered, his eyes narrowing as he planted more kisses on the brunet's nose and cheeks. Clasping the redhead's cheeks, Neji pulled him into a stronger kiss.

"Seriously?" gasped Shikamaru, looking away. "Is it always going to be like this with you two now?" As the two pulled away from each other and glanced at him apologetically, the dog cast his eyes across the room to the empty beds that had been prepared for both Sakura and Itachi – once they had left the Emergency Room. "Sasuke and Naruto still haven't showed – who knows what could've happened."

"True," Neji muttered, as Gaara pulled himself away to sit with his friend. "And poor Sakura. She had lost so much blood by the time she was taken to the ambulance." Biting his lip, Shikamaru watched the other brunet. In his chest his heart still felt heavy, even in the light of their success. Noticing his discontent, the lizard put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"The doctor said they'd be okay, though," he murmured, casting his eyes down. "It's Sasuke. We didn't plan this far ahead." The hand on his shoulder didn't move, and everyone's eyes were looking anywhere but at him. "I guess we'll have to wait and see."

Blinking, the ambulance officer stared at the hideous scar on Sasuke's shoulder, before her eyes moved down to the crudely healed symbol burned into his back. "The Akatsuki is recruiting _children_?" she whispered, shaking her head. Glaring up at the tanned woman through his damp locks, the snake gave a low hiss.

"It wasn't his fault," Naruto said quickly, smiling at the officer as she examined his wounds more closely.

"Well, whether he's a criminal or not," she muttered, peering under the rim of the worn bandages, "it's still my job to look after him. But…" The fox watched as she pulled the tattered, stained material away and disposed of it. "You need to stop worrying about that – you're pretty beat up yourself." Eyebrows knitting together, the blond shook his head.

"I'm okay," he told her, but she turned to him with an incredulous look.

"I can hear how much you're struggling to talk. You may have damaged your rib cage or your lungs." Sighing, even though it hurt, Naruto relaxed as the other nurse lay him down on the bed and pushed a needle into his arm.

"It's codine – just for the pain," the man murmured, squeezing the fluid into the tanned arm. "There's no need to be such a tough guy – you're in the back of an ambulance."

"Is… is there a… complementary therapist at the hospital?" growled the fox, as the sickening pain in his chest began to numb. "For him." There was a weak grunt of disapproval from the raven.

"Yes," the officer told him, shooting the boy a concerned look. "A couple. I'll make sure he's referred to one of them." A spark of anger lit up Sasuke's dark mind, but he could do nothing as he slowly went under.

"Thanks," the blond replied, letting his lids droop. As heavy as they felt, his heart felt light every time he remembered who was there with him. All that time, he believed that Sasuke had given up on him all over again – but not for the reasons either of them had believed. Knowing that Sasuke had been sick was better than knowing that he didn't have a heart.

"What does this mean, Takashi?" the officer asked the other as she looked up from the unconscious raven. Takashi furrowed his brow, and the woman sighed. "We just took five injured teenagers – two critically – and another injured man from the Akatsuki's headquarters."

"Quite," the nurse replied, looking to the small square windows at the back. "And I'm sure I saw several injured men in the custody of the police. I hope the seriously wounded from that group are being taken to the hospital as well." The officer shook her head.

"I have _never_ heard of the police taking action against the Akatsuki." Despite all the horrible things that the officer had seen in her job, never had she felt so stricken. "How could this be?"

An orb of light floated past his vision, as Sasuke's unconscious mind finally began to awaken. Blinking slightly, as the bright orb burned his retina, he tried to focus but the light flew out of view and the sounds of voices began to reach his ears.

"He's waking up." Waking up, huh? It certainly felt like he'd been in a dream. He blinked a few more times at the blurred figure near him, and tried to pull himself up. "Woah – steady on, lad," the voice told him sharply, gently him back down.

"Am I in the hospital?" he rasped. His head felt like it was full of water. It was a familiar feeling.

"That's right. You've had a minor operation to tidy your wounds," he was told. Letting his body slacken, Sasuke could finally begin to see the man more clearly. The plain blue dress told him she was a nurse, as did the warm smile. "For your back and your shoulder."

"Good grief," the raven sighed. "So that was necessary?" Nodding, the redheaded nurse tucked the torch away and smiled again at him.

"I hope that now those awful markings can heal – if you don't mind me saying so." Raising an eyebrow at her, the snake shifted uncomfortably in the bed.

"So you're telling me that the mark could heal?" he said, his voice low. Smile faltering, the girl gave him a slow nod. Giving another sigh, the snake closed his tired eyes. "Thank you." Smirking, the nurse sat down on the chair, her hazel eyes fixed on Sasuke's.

"It's Sasuke, right? The late Uchiha Fugaku's son?" Brow furrowed, a sneer tried to twitch at the corner of his lips.

"Why?" he asked her, trying hard not to sound defensive.

"Well it was announced while you were in the intensive care unit that your brother intends to invite you to share his responsibilities as the new patriarch of the Uchiha family." Sasuke's face was blank. "I wouldn't have told you, but he's been in and out lately, and he wouldn't have the energy to tell you himself." Her face softened, and she placed a hand on his, as she got back to her feet. "He wants you to think about it." Still unmoving, the raven's eyes tracked her as she turned away with one last grin and headed out the door, and still waited another ten seconds before letting out a deep sigh. It felt normal wearing the bandages, but that searing pain he had been so used to from his wounds was all but gone. That felt far less than normal. Suddenly, his eyes caught something that made his body melt.

"Shikamaru!" he gasped, sitting up as though he'd been rigged to a spring. Snickering, the brunet waved from the opposite bed.

"You only just noticed me?" he smirked. "I've been sitting here this whole –"

"I'm so, so sorry, Shikamaru!" cried the raven, making the dog frown. "I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean anything I said, okay?"

"You don't have to apologise," he barked, before Sasuke started to gush. As the snake's mouth slammed shut, the brunet relaxed, running a tired hand down his face. "Everyone let each other down here, so it cancels it out. It was troublesome getting you back to your senses, but what are friends for?" With a short laugh, a smile flew across Sasuke's face.

"You're the best!" he grinned, as his best friend came around and put his arms around him, giving him a sharp squeeze.

"It's good to have you back, buddy," Shikamaru growled, letting the raven go. "God I wish Gaara was here at the moment. He's so different now – I mean, he has a lot more confidence. And Sakura – I wish she could be here too." Warmth still drowning the snake poured through him, and he gave the brunet a quizzical look. "Gaara has an appointment with his physiotherapist, unfortunately," he sighed. "And worse – Sakura was badly injured in a battle with Pein. She's not allowed out of her bed yet." As the brunet's brow furrowed, Sasuke felt his mouth go dry.

"I'm so sorry this happened," he rasped, his wide eyes casting themselves fiercely at a glass of water. "I don't know what happened to me." A snort came from the other young man.

"That's for sure. You know even less than you actually think you know." Suddenly, the snake's gaze snapped back to him.

"I know, right!" gasped the raven. "To think that you guys were the ones who knew all that stuff about magic. You sure caught Orochimaru by surprise, and me, admittedly." Smirking, Shikamaru shook his head.

"No, we didn't know a thing about magic," he corrected. Sasuke's brow grew heavy as he stared darkly back at his friend. "You behaved as Orochimaru because you believed that you'd become him." Eyes narrowing sharply, the raven's lip gave a twitch.

"That's bullshit," he sneered, as his recent past flashed through his mind. All the time that he was under Orochimaru's control he'd felt pushed back to the recesses of his own body, unable to stop his new master's will. Even before then, he'd felt the power of the symbol of ascension, and of the scars on his back. Besides, why would someone pretend to steal a body? It only made sense that Orochimaru would have had to believe in the magic as well.

"You would say that, because you believe in it," the brunet continued, lowering his gaze to the bedridden snake. "It's because you believe in it that it's dangerous. Orochimaru always told you what to expect, right? With the magic? So it's not inconceivable that through suggestion he convinced you that things you felt were being controlled by some kind of supernatural magic." He'd been hoping to shed some light to Sasuke, but the more he spoke, the more the raven averted Shikamaru's gaze, grinding his teeth viciously.

"Idiot! I wasn't pretending that I was someone else, okay?" he hissed at his stomach. "And I'm not that crazy!"

"Ah…" As the young man's smile faded, Sasuke pushed his face into his hands. "You aren't crazy, Sasuke. I know that. What happened was real – you were being controlled." Waiting for the kicker, the snake sent the dog another glare. "It's called the 'nocebo' effect – the opposite of a placebo. So even if physically, nothing happened to you, Orochimaru still managed to effect you emotionally and mentally."

"No," he growled. "No, no, no."

"Just think about it, okay?" Shikamaru pressed, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezing it. "Think about it. How else could we have saved you? Because we cured the nocebo with a placebo. Do you see? There is no other way of looking at it, because if magic really existed then a fake ritual wouldn't have worked."

"Hn..." Shikamaru squeezed harder, watching as Sasuke's chest heaved. "Are you sure? Surely Orochimaru… maybe he just wanted to use me. To play with my mind so that I'd kill my father, then finally get rid of me." At this, the brunet frowned.

"Orochimaru is dead, Sasuke." Heart clattering in his chest, heavy hands fell to the raven's sides. Eyes wide, he stared blankly forward. "They found him at the Izumi Garden Tower, completely unresponsive. Not dead, but unresponsive. He soon died, however because they wasted too much time before taking him to the hospital. I mean, he was basically in a vegetabilised state."

"No sense," Sasuke rasped. "None of this makes any sense."

"That's not all – he was identified as Youko Kochi. They identified him so easily because he's been missing for ten years. For some reason he suddenly just changed his identity out of nowhere and disappeared, but I think you know why, don't you?" Sasuke felt sick. A cold feeling in his fingers and toes began to spread through his shaking body and he closed his eyes.

"Is that even possible?"

"It doesn't matter. His soul is dead now, and you're okay," the brunet finally said.

"Naruto," the raven said suddenly, his eyes snapping back to Shikamaru's. The brunet raised an eyebrow. "Do I still have a chance with him? I… did he show any sort of sign that he still?… you know…"

"Uh…" Scratching his head, the dog averted his gaze. "He didn't really. Except for the fact that he came to save you. You may have a chance with him, but I really don't know what he thinks of all this." For a moment, Sasuke's eyes drooped sadly as he turned his head away.

"Oh." That wasn't what he'd wanted to hear. "I… I wasn't myself when I left him, Shikamaru."

"I heard. You've been really messed up lately, huh?" Smirking, Shikamaru lifted himself to his feet. "And you've been so troublesome – that's for sure. I don't know if I can even trust you to get some goddamn rest." Sasuke let out a snort, sliding down into his bed. His lips were downturned and his eyes seemed grey. Sighing, the dog scratched his head as he paused to leave. "Naruto has something bottled up inside of him, and not in a good way, Sasuke. I think you should be ready for that."

As the door clicked shut, Sasuke clenched his eyes shut, breathing deeply. He knew that he was waking up from a nightmare. It was supposed to be over now. No. This would never be over for him. Back at the Akatsuki complex Deidara had advised him to 'move on', but while Sasuke would rather burn that chapter of his life, he suddenly felt afraid for his future because of it. No one was ever going to see him the same way. Not as the strong and proud Uchiha.

"Not that any of this was my fault," he snorted, quite happy to let his stubbornness take him over. Besides, he had more immediate things to think about, such as his brother's proposal to share the responsibility as head of the Uchiha family name. At least he could count on Itachi to continue as normal – already thinking about business. A soft patter caught his ear, as drops of rain shattered against the window. He bit his lip. It seemed as though their family was dying. Itachi could never have children, and he himself couldn't either. Something icy seemed to squeeze his heart, as he felt it try to wrench in grief, and he gasped, slamming his eyes shut. "Nii-san… I can make it up to you. I promise you I can." Calming his shivering nerves, Sasuke took a heavy breath, just as a set of knuckles rapped on the door.

"Sasuke, I'm coming in," came a rough voice. The raven's eyes widened. "Is that okay?" Jaw completely locked in anticipation and chest solid with dread, the snake failed to answer, as the door clicked open. As the fox limped into the room, Sasuke tugged the bedsheets closer to his chin. Naruto looked terrible. Usually his skin was gently tanned, but he looked pasty and cold, and his arm was in a sling. Bright blue eyes stared into the raven's black wells, and his lips were downturned. "I'm glad you've woken up," he muttered, dragging himself to the bedside seat. Slowly, the blond's lips gave a tiny smile, and his sharp eyes softened enough for Sasuke to finally breathe. "So glad," he whispered, reaching with his strong arm to stroke the raven's pale cheek. Sasuke closed his eyes, leaning into his touch. "Please say something." Leaning forward slightly, the fox watched the raven's face as he stroked his white forehead. "Please." Cool air blew onto his wrist as Sasuke breathed slowly.

"What is it, Naruto?" he asked him suddenly, reaching for the blond's hand and tearing it away. Dark eyes flicked open and watched as Naruto began to frown.

"What do you mean, 'what is it'?" Sighing, Sasuke gave the young fox a desperate look.

"Do you really forgive me? Really?" he asked, his voice somewhat vicious. "There's something else, isn't there? Because saying you forgive me isn't the same thing as saying things are going back to the way they were before all of this." Naruto blinked.

"What… are you talking about?" The fox's frown deepened. "What else could I have meant?" Holding the stare, the raven paused. Of course Naruto had forgiven him. He wouldn't have said it if he didn't truly mean it. He had to word this carefully. Dark rings sat like drapes lining the fox's eyes – it wouldn't be hard to set him off.

"So, you don't…" he slurred, "think that you're… you know… going to think differently of me?" As the blond's lip twitched into a sneer, the snake froze slightly. "I mean, even just subconsciously?"

"Don't be an idiot," he growled, tearing his eyes away. "I was put through hell trying to save you, Sasuke. I never want that to happen again, so I will see you differently."

"Hn…" Was this maybe what was bottled up? Glaring out the window, Naruto crossed his arms.

"No matter what, teme, I'm going to protect you." A tiny gasp escaped Sasuke's lips, as he sank back into his bed. His heart was pounding almost too loudly to hear the blond. "I was mad at you this whole time, but now that you're back I realise that I let this happen to you. Assuming that just because you're an Uchiha, you can face anything on your own, is wrong. Everyone needs to be protected and I wasn't prepared to do that – all I wanted was for you to protect me. I was selfish – pushing you to your limit, just so I could test you…" Breathing slowly, the raven shivered as the cerulean eyes landed back on him. "I have to see you differently now. You're precious. You're my most precious thing. If I don't protect you, I'll lose you for good. And that's why," he whispered, gently leaning in to brush his lips against Sasuke's cool cheek, "I will… take care of you, Sasuke." Heart pounding furiously as the soft lips kissed his skin, the raven sniffed and rested his hand on the small of the fox's back.

"You dobe," he mumbled. His mind was spinning so fast that it made him dizzy. "I l… love you, Naruto." _I will take care of you._ It beat all his fears. In any case, it was far better than hearing that he was going to be 'careful' of him.

"I love you too, Sasuke," the blond breathed into the boy's neck, before planting tiny wet kisses across it. "Thanks for coming back." Smirking, the raven now wrapped both his arms over the fox's broad shoulders and squeezed gently, avoiding Naruto's sore bits.

"Thanks for bringing me back," he replied, kissing Naruto's parting. "I hope you know, though. It's now time for me to show my gratitude and make amends." Narrowing his eyes and grinning, the fox looked up at the raven.

"That sounds like fun," he slurred, dragging his tongue across the snake's collarbone.

"Ha," he breathed, his eyes widening as an aroused shiver shot through his body. "No, Naruto. Not here. Not now…" The blond pouted, but he also conceded, sitting back up and licking his lips at the stubborn Sasuke. Glaring at him, the raven flicked his jet black hair. "Usuratonkachi. You know full well that that's _not_ what I meant."

"Fine, teme." Poking out his tongue, Naruto folded his arms as best he could. Sighing, Sasuke glanced around the room.

"Maybe you know this already, usuratonkachi, but nii-san has requested that he and I take joint ownership of all of Uchiha's assets as business partners." Mouth hanging open slightly, the fox blinked.

"Oh right. Is that really okay with Itachi-kun? That's nice of him." Sasuke paused, glancing carefully over to Naruto. So far he just looked intrigued, not excited. Perhaps it was false? He did find it hard to believe that Naruto would be happy for Sasuke to be in a position that meant that they could barely see one another.

"He hasn't said this to me in person, but I'm pretty sure the nurse who told me his plans was being honest," he eventually continued, stroking his chin. Tilting his head, the blond smiled a little more.

"Why would a nurse lie about something like that? Anyway – that's really great news, Sasuke," he said, his smile quickly becoming a grin.

"I guess it is," drawled the raven, his eyes cast downward. "It's definitely a sign that Itachi is prepared to forgive me. But I'm not going to accept the post, for a number of reasons."

"Ah… wait, what?" the blond gasped. "Wait, Sasuke. How could you turn something like that down? There'd better be a good reason." Shrugging, Sasuke turned to Naruto with a smirk.

"Itachi doesn't need my help, and to be honest I don't want to spend my whole life working with my brother." Giving another sigh, the snake raised two fingers. "Those are the first reasons. The third reason is you, Naruto." He lifted a third finger, as the blond began to frown. "I shouldn't need to tell you that I'm dedicated to working, but I'm aware that now, I'm also dedicated to you. I would like, if allowed, to seek employment with the police force. This way, I can work hard while seeing you, and you'll be able to 'take care' of me." Expecting a smile, the raven's own faultered as the fox's frown deepened.

"Don't be offended by this, Sasuke, but I'm not sure how the police would feel about taking on someone with a record like yours, and from a family like yours." Somewhat disappointed, Sasuke's eyes fell to his knees.

"Ah… I see," he murmured. "After being used by criminals like Orochimaru and Uchiha Madara… I really want to stop them, and make up for anything that I may have done in the past. Besides, I have a strong understanding of the mind of criminals now. I've experienced it myself." Biting his lip, Naruto felt a slight pang of guilt as he watched Sasuke slouch and his eyes stare tirelessly into space.

"I promise I'll try to get you in, Sasuke. But you realise if Dad isn't happy with it, or can't make it happen, the best I'll be able to do is offer you a low position." Sighing through his nose, the snake gave a slow nod.

"Thank you. I feel as though this is the best way for me to make everything better." Brow heavy, the raven gave Naruto a sideways look. "I was expecting a low position. Is a higher position even possible?" Lips pulling to the side, the blond stroked his chin.

"Well, let's say it's agreed that your record is overruled due to mitigating circumstances… with your experience and your results at high school and your relationship with the higher-ups, you, like me, would be put on the fast track to an important position. No matter what though, you have to start at the bottom." Sasuke nodded again, his cheeks as pale as snow. A ghost of a smile flickered on his lips, as he moved to push them into Naruto's, giving him a gentle, short kiss.

"Here's to life, Naruto," he whispered, gazing into the wide blue eyes. "Here's to moving on." Smiling gently, the blond pushed his lips back into the raven's.

"Here's to no regrets, Sasuke."

**If there are mistakes in this, it'll be dealt to.**

**Then you'll be dealt to, for wasting my time.**

**MUCH LOVES TO ALL OF YOU 3 3**


	20. Miracle

**I'm not going to pretend that this is the best NaruSasu fanfic in the world. It really isn't. Cos then I'd look like an ass. Only you can pretend without looking like an ass, so please, whether you believe it or not, tell EVERYONE IN THE WORLD like every single person you ever see ever... tell them that this is the best. Do it. :D**

20 – Miracle

Tiny steel eyes stared up at him unblinking, and smooth lips were twisted into a wide smile. The snake's smooth black scales looked so real, shining and smooth across the creature's snout and silky spine. A hooded king cobra seemed ready to strike him, were it not for the fact that it was frozen black stone. Sneering at it, Itachi lifted the walking cane in his hand, feeling its weight. This had once belonged to his grandfather, but now it was his. Were it merely a symbol of his new reign he wouldn't resent it, but it was more than that to him. With a heavy sigh, he let the metal tip of the stick hit the ground, and straining, he tried to climb to his feet. "Hn," he muttered, as a familiar ache shot from his knee. Leaning on the snake's sturdy head for support, he slowly made his way across his room to the tall mirror by his closet. A severe looking man with a severe looking serpent stared back at him, steel grey eyes boring into his own. He was only twenty years old, but he couldn't remember what youth felt like. Since Sasuke was put at risk by their father he hadn't felt young. And now he knew that he'd lost his adulthood as well. In his chest, his heart was burning him like acid, but nothing of it showed on his ever stern face. Yet… this arrangement with Sasuke had to work. His heart gave a throb. So much to do.

Ding dong!

Throwing his gaze to the door, Itachi's heart gave another sharp pound. As his brow began to heat, the young man moved slowly and carefully toward the door and across the hall, putting as little weight as possible on his injured knee. It took him a while, but he made it to the bottom of the stairwell without causing himself too much pain.

Ding dong!

"I'm coming," he muttered, not one to raise his voice for no good reason. As he approached the door, his stick landing heavily on the wooden floor with every step, his brow began to sweat. Wrenching the doorknob around, he pulled the door open and gazed down at the bright faced girl in front of him.

"Itachi," she sighed, taking a step toward him. As her bright green eyes fell on the stick, the raven felt a lump in his throat.

"Hi, sweetie," he said quietly, watching her through hooded eyes. Butterflies fluttered in his chest as she put her arms over his shoulders and kissed him on the mouth.

"I love the cane. It suits you!" she teased, resting her head on his chest. Itachi was silent, his unwavering expression staring into the distance as he let his chin nestle in her pink hair. "Where's Sasuke? I haven't even seen him since I was in hospital."

"Nii-chan is busy," he replied, as she let him go, looking up at his face quizzically.

"Are you okay, honey?" Turning to go inside, he ignored the question as he slowly and painfully limped on his stick back into the hallway. "If it's about your knee, Itachi…" Pausing, Itachi waited for her to come in and close the door, his eyes fixed to the floorboards. Behind him, he heard Sakura take a shaky breath. "I'll always love you, Itachi. I don't care about things like that, because I'd do anything for you. You always seem to forget that." Suddenly, she gasped as the slow-moving man suddenly whipped around, towering over her with something like pain in his eyes.

"Do you mean that, Sakura? Do you really?" he asked her, his brow creased with agony. As she tried to reply, a sympathetic smile on her lips, Itachi cut across her. "I'm not upset because of the damn stick. It's an inconvenience, but there's something else. And I need to tell you this, because…" Biting his lip and glancing at the ceiling, the raven gave the cherry-blossom an intense, burning stare. "… because I want to be with you forever, Sakura." Quite bewildered, she stared back at him before breaking into a smile. Taking a step toward him, she pulled his neck down into another kiss.

"I don't really think that whatever's worrying you will come between us," she told him, gazing into his dark eyes. "I'd do anything to make you happy, Itachi." Smiling in her warmth, he gave her another kiss, but deep inside he felt sick.

"I…" Glancing across to the living room, he gave another sigh. "Let's go and sit down."

"Sure." The raven waited for her to go in front – he didn't want to feel pressured to move any faster than he should. When he glanced at her outfit, he felt his cheeks burning. Her woollen jersey's collar was below her shoulders, and the sleeves were too long. A giant heart was printed on the back of the white material, and a black pleated skirt only reached part of the way down her slender thighs, and her cute heels made her legs look even longer. Itachi sighed, closing his eyes as he fell behind her. Ever since Okinawa, Sakura had expressed her desire to bring their relationship to the next level. However he told her that he just couldn't go there until she was eighteen, as much as he wanted to. Of course, that was a few months ago, and she was already eighteen plus a month give or take. If they hadn't been so focussed on Sasuke, he was positive it would've happened. After today, it may never happen.

"I should really just go ahead and say it," he declared, as they settled into the sofa. Sakura kissed his cheek.

"That's probably for the best." Watching her carefully, the raven paused for a moment before making his move.

"I'm infertile." For a moment, the girl frowned, but then her lips tightened. Green eyes widened like a frightened animal as she stared at Itachi. His face looked exhausted, and she could almost see tears on the rims of the strong man's eyes. "We can never have children together." As cold shock engulfed the girl, her hands slipped away from his.

"What?" she breathed, tears stinging in her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I only found out recently," he murmured, his hands shaking. "My parents have known for years, and father told Sasuke about it when he discovered that Sasuke is also unlikely to have children." Shaking her head in disbelief, Sakura buried her face in her hands.

"I don't believe this. It can't be true," she sobbed, as the raven watched her with desperately sad eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love. But it's true. I've had it confirmed, and it's true that this is a hereditary disease that has been in my family line for god knows how long," he said, his voice shaking. "And god knows I want to have a family with all my heart. I want you to be a mother, Sakura, and I want to be a father. I've dreamed of it." Gently, the tired man pulled away the girl's hands from her face, and took her chin, turning her to look at him. Wiping away her black, streaky tears, he pulled her as close to him as he could. "Sakura, I'm completely in love with you. But I'll understand if you want to try again with someone who can make you the wonderful mother that I know you can be. You're still so young after all," he whispered, stroking her beautiful hair. Sobbing noisily into his shoulder, she shook her head against him.

"I want to be a mother. But I want you to be a father more! And I want to be with you," she cried, tears flowing uncontrollably down her cheeks.

"Please marry me, Sakura. Marry me." He hardly felt himself say the words. All he could feel was the cherry blossom on his shoulder crying even harder than before.

"Y-y-e-es…" she sobbed, as he held her body close to his. "Y-y-y-y-e-e-e-s…" Her voice was almost too wobbly to understand, but Itachi understood it clearly, as he practically melted into her arms.

"I love you, Sakura," he whispered, kissing the rim of her ear. "And I promise that we will have a family. In fact…" He felt like he could burst, as she cried happily and clutched him like she would never let go. "I'm so happy right now. Here's the thing, Sakura… Sasuke has offered to be a sperm donor for us." Suddenly she pulled back, and managed to make a face in spite of her puffy eyes.

"Sasuke? Your brother?" she scoffed, her eyes wide. But as disappointment fell across her fiancé's face, her eyes widened even more. "No, that's perfect. If it can't be you, then it has to be him. Otherwise the Uchiha family will go to some stranger – or worse." Itachi shuddered. Going from having a megalomaniac as patriarch to a psychopath couldn't be considered an improvement. It was his job to ensure that their assets could stay out of the red.

"We don't have to worry about that for now, Sakura," he told her. "We can get married after you leave school, and after that we don't have to do anything until we're ready." Taking her chin, he pulled her into his lips, kissing her passionately. His heart was still pounding with shock. Her response was so perfect, it was almost overwhelming. Ever since Sasuke had told him about his condition, he couldn't stop dreading it. In fact, he truly had believed she'd leave him, and he certainly didn't think that an eighteen year old would want to marry him. Hands shaking, he pulled her on top of him and held her, finally pulling away from the kiss.

"Itachi, baby?" the cherry-blossom asked, listening to his heart with her ear on his chest. "Does the condition… you know… mean we can't…" Smirking, he lifted her into yet another kiss.

"Oh yes, we certainly can," he growled. "If you help me up the stairs, I can show you."

Sasuke was nervous. Lately, he'd been feeling nervous around everyone. His friends made him nervous when he felt judged by them. He felt nervous around his brother after keeping such a terrible thing secret from him. Naruto made him nervous because he was waiting for Naruto to give him information about his position with the police. Nothing made him as nervous as this, though. Sunlight shone brightly from behind the white curtains, shrouding the room in bluish light. Every inch of it was clean and tidy, and all the surfaces except for the bedclothes and carpet seemed to gleam. Yet the curtains looked as though they were almost never touched, as they hung down like sheets of ice. Taking a deep breath of the surprisingly stuffy air, Sasuke watched as a woman sat in front of her shining bedside mirror, brushing very long and very black hair. It scared the raven how much she looked like a ghost, with skin that was so pale and sickly, and wearing a crisp white gown. Even though this was the way that his mother had been for years, it still hurt to be near her. From a distance, he felt that she still resembled the healthy woman he grew up with, but when he moved closer to her, putting careful hands on her brittle shoulders, he could see how sunken her eyes were, and how they were so empty and dead. As she felt his, she looked at his reflection. "Sasuke, my son," she said, giving a tiny smile. Sasuke swallowed. Her eyes looked so unseeing, and her smile looked out of place on her sad face. Despite all this though, she was still beautiful. For a moment, he stared back at her, but then his expression wavered, and his eyes lowered to the floor.

"Father is dead, mum," he gasped, his heart aching with confusion. "No matter the circumstances, shouldn't you be happy now? You're free." Mikoto's smile evaporated and she placed the brush on the dresser.

"Fugaku was my husband officially, but our marriage was never more than a business deal." The hand on her shoulder tightened. _You always say this_, the snake thought to himself viciously. _So what? Aren't you satisfied?_ "He didn't treat me with love, even though when we married, I loved him. I've had to put up with his affairs and his bullying. I had to be his wife with all of the disadvantages, but none of the benefits, and as you know, there came a point where I hated him more than anything. But I couldn't leave, because then I would never be allowed to see my sons again. I couldn't go, and I couldn't stay."

"You wanted to be with us, you say?" he hissed, though they'd had this conversation many times before. "So how could you try to kill yourself? How could you do that to us?" Normally, this was the point that she would start crying and go on about what a terrible mother she was, but this time, the woman picked up her brush once more and simply continued running it through her knotless hair.

"I have been very sick, Sasuke," she told him with serious eyes. "When I felt I was stuck between the decision of leaving my children and living with Fugaku I felt desperate to escape. I behaved irrationally. You of all people should understand that by now." Eyes widening, Sasuke gave a tiny gasp.

"You mean you know?" he spluttered, staring at his mother with his jaw hanging open.

"Nothing gets past me, Sasuke," she smirked. _That damn maid,_ Sasuke thought, clenching his teeth. "As I was saying, I was very unhappy with Fugaku. I had a happy life, especially when I had Itachi. It was when you were born that he showed his true colours, and he was so cruel to you that I couldn't bear it. I was strong enough for the affairs and the bullying, but it was the way he treated you that eventually broke me." As Sasuke shut his mouth, he felt a dark surprise in the back of his chest. She'd never gotten this far through the story before. "I became depressed and shut myself away. I was so miserable that I just couldn't face anyone. I've really spent far too long in here – it only makes it harder to leave."

"So that's why you stay here?" A dark, furious glare bore down on her, as Sasuke took a step away. "Is that why you're still miserable? You're just used to it?" His mother shot him a sharp look.

"I don't appreciate that tone, Uchiha Sasuke," she snapped. "And besides, that's not at all why I've still been locked away, even after Fugaku-sama's death. Believe me, I am very glad he is dead. But yes, Sasuke, the circumstances bother me. They bother me very much." Suddenly, the raven's breath caught in his throat, and his knees began to tremble. His mother wasn't really going to disown him was she? Did she blame him for what happened? If she did, he'd have to accept it. In many ways he was to blame. "I was terrified and miserable for you, my dear. My own, precious son, was manipulated by criminals."

"Ah…" So even if the crazy Sasuke had never left the Akatsuki and managed to become the new chairman of the Uchiha Academy and other assets of their family, his mother wouldn't have been saved. "Well all of that's behind me now. And Itachi said he's going to propose to Sakura any day now – although we don't know how she's going to react to his condition. Everything's about to change for the better."

"I can't wait to meet her," his mother replied brightly. Sasuke watched her through hooded eyes. Perhaps she did seem just a little happier.

"Mum…" he mumbled, but she took a sharp breath to cut him off.

"I haven't told you this, Sasuke, but I am incredibly proud of you." Smirking at her, the raven put his hands back on her shoulders.

"That's a little extreme," he laughed. "It's not as though you've _never_ said that you're proud of me." She smiled back, and this time it was far more genuine.

"That's true, but if you'll just listen I'll tell you that I'm particularly proud of the way that you told your father that you're gay," she said. "All you ever were to him was someone who was going to make little baby Uchihas, and a tool he could use to 'marry' our successful business to other successful businesses. You may not have known all that, but you knew he would hate hearing the truth." Sasuke's smile disappeared and he cast his eyes to the curtains, barely noticing as his mother steadily got to her feet, or his hands slipping off her shoulders.

"Ha?" he gasped, looking back around as two warm arms embraced him, and his mother put her head on his shoulder.

"Love yourself, Sasuke," she said to him. Shaking slightly, Sasuke hugged her back. "Staying true to yourself and standing up to the chairman was true strength." His arms tightened around her gentle body.

"Get dressed," he said in a low voice. "It's about time you left this room."

"Look at these," Mikoto sighed, her tired eyes gazing longingly at a sumi-e art supply set. "This is very good quality." Sasuke looked her with a glint in his eye, as she carefully ran her fingers over the brush tips and smooth handles, before moving to examine the wooden box. When she spotted him smiling at her, she went red and put the box down. "What?"

"I've seen your paintings, but none of them are from my lifetime," he said. "Are you thinking of taking it up again?" As she gazed over the beautiful set her cheeks flushed even further, and her eyes fluttered away.

"Oh, I don't know," she laughed. "Fugaku wouldn't let me draw. He thought it was a waste of time." Letting out a sigh, the raven picked up one of the brushes and handed it to his mother, a slight smirk on his lips.

"What were your words again? 'Stay true to yourself'." His mother gave her son an incredulous look, before snatching out her purse, but just as she was about to approach the stallowner, she paused and a smile split across her face.

"It's Naru-chan!" she exclaimed, as Sasuke whipped around.

"Hey, it's Mikoto-san and Sasu-chan!" Cheesy grin on his face, the bright-faced boy gave them a big wave from across the market. He was in the food section, and to Sasuke's exasperation, he was holding a plastic bag that was quite clearly full of ramen.

"How long has it been, Naruto?" Mikoto laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as he approached. The raven snorted. "I haven't seen you since you were still just a little thing." Glancing quickly at Sasuke, the fox gave his mother another grin.

"It has been a while, hasn't it?" he laughed back. Beside him, the snake was slowly edging away from the conversation, but Mikoto was one step ahead, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Ts!" Naruto raised an eyebrow at the raven, who simply glared back.

"It really has been too long," she smiled, placing the paints back down on the table they were being displayed on. Seizing the opportunity, Sasuke swiped them before taking them to the counter to buy. "Look at you, Naruto. You're even more handsome than that father of yours!" The fox gave a shy laugh and scatched his head.

"Thanks." As Mikoto beamed at him, the blond felt himself blush slightly and he quickly glanced back at Sasuke. The snake was now holding a bag with the art supplies, and a very bored expression on his face. "Hey Sasuke. Nice outfit!" Sasuke snorted. Was that sarcasm? How were sandals, baggy shorts and an old t-shirt nice? "What's wrong?" the fox asked him with a pout. "Are you in a grumpy mood, Sasuke?"

"Are you mocking me, dobe?" he sneered back, deepening Naruto's frown. Mikoto shook her head, snatching the bag off her son.

"Play nice, boys," she warned. The two averted their gazes immediately, and Mikoto, casting her own gaze between, started to blush. "Oh… you two don't mind do you?" Quickly she reached into her bag, pulling out what appeared to be a camera. "Sasuke, go and stand with Naruto." When the raven hesitated, Naruto chuckled and grabbed his arm, pulling him toward him.

"Hey," Sasuke protested, giving the fox a poisonous stare. "Can people stop being so rough with me, please?"

"Relax, Sasu-chan," he teased, draping a tanned arm across Sasuke's shoulders. "It's only me." The taller pushed away the arm and put his own around the blond's shoulders, and in response Naruto then put his around the raven's waist.

"Oh just as I expected!" Mikoto gasped, looking through the camera at the grinning blond and the scowling raven. "You two are just as cute together as ever. Oh for goodness sake, Sasuke. Won't you smile for the camera?" He gave a sigh. Not for the camera, but he could smile seeing her out of the house. So he gave a tiny smile. Click!

"Hey Mikoto-san, can I borrow Sasuke?" Naruto asked her, with warm eyes. Eyebrows raised, Mikoto flicked a carefree hand.

"Borrow him? You can keep him." She had noticed the longing way her son had been looking at the fox's hand, with his sad black eyes. "I want to get home to try out my new brushes and paints."

"Is that okay with you, Sasuke?" Though his expression was heavy, there was a tiny smile pulling on the corners of his lips when he was caught by Naruto's endless blue eyes. Brushing his hand on the fox's, he looked down at the floor, then back into his astonishing eyes.

"Sure." He quickly shot a look at his mother, who was now watching them with a knowing sparkle in her eye. With a sharp huff, he stepped toward her and gave her a squeeze. "I'll text you what my plans are."

"Okay sweetie." Giving her son a brief kiss on the nose, much to his dismay, she let him go and gave a wave to Naruto. "Bye Naruto. You two have a great time." Then she turned and walked off up the bustling street with crowded stalls and exciting smells. Long after she was gone, Sasuke was still staring.

"Are you okay, Sasuke?" the fox asked, giving his friend a sideways glance. As if he was snapping out of a trance, the blank faced raven shook his head before turning to Naruto.

"Yeah I'm fine, dobe. It's just that…" His eyes trailed back to where had mother had only recently been standing. "Ah never mind."

"Do you want to go to the park?" asked the blond. Sasuke looked at him blankly.

"Loads of people from the academy hang out there," he drawled, "so if you wanted to go somewhere to eat that junk food, there are more private places we can go." A familiar frown flickered in Naruto's blue eyes and he crinkled his nose.

"There's nothing wrong with the park," growled the fox, "and I want to spend time with you, not just eat ramen." The snake rolled his eyes. "Hey teme, do you remember when you were nice to me? How about you let me talk to that guy again?" As they slowly began to walk off in the direction of the park, Sasuke looked away from the blond.

"I've just had a hideous day," he muttered. Hooded eyes watched the raven as he stared at the floor.

"I'm sorry. Weren't you having fun with your mum?" Shrugging, the snake gave Naruto a tiny smile.

"Actually that was great. But earlier Itachi told me a secret," he drawled, making the blond's eyes widen with delight, "which I can only share with you if you promise not to tell."

"What? Just tell me already!" Shaking his head, the raven gave him an exhasperated glance.

"I was going to tell you, usuratonkachi. He said that he's going to ask Sakura to marry him." Naruto gasped, his head snapping around to Sasuke.

"What? When?" he cried, with a smile too big for his face. To this, the raven merely shrugged before letting out another long sigh. "Aren't you happy with that?"

"Sort of," he murmured, staring at his feet, "because he told me right before I told him that he has severe ogliospermia, as in he can never have kids. It was horrible." Telling Naruto about the 'suggestion' he'd made could wait. Besides, he didn't know what the outcome of all of this was going to be yet. "He was upset, but went straight out to have it confirmed, and… I've never seen him looking so depressed." At this, the fox stared straight ahead, his lips turned downward. Didn't he always look kind of depressed? Or at least bored. "I thought he might kill himself, but he didn't. Still… he was really quiet." As this hit the blond in the heart, he bit his lip with his eyes fixed firmly on the floor.

"Don't talk about a member of your family dying so lightly," he growled, as tears stung at his eyes.

"I don't take these things lightly," Sasuke retorted, staring at his own patch of ground. "I was terrified for him. I mean, he looked so miserable. Even when Dad died I-" His voice caught suddenly in his throat, like a brush catching on a knot causing a sudden burning pain as he glanced at his love. "Naruto?" As the fox stumbled to a stop in his tracks, the raven came up in front of him and took him by the wrists. His face was buried in his hands, and as a minute sob caught Sasuke's ears, his eyes widened. "It's okay, Naruto," he whispered, pulling the blond into an embrace. "The park's just across the road. We can go and sit down, and you can tell me what's wrong."

"Don't worry," Naruto suddenly sniffed, wiping his eyes with the back of his arm. A pang of guilt strummed Sasuke's heart as he realised his comments on Itachi were extremely upsetting.

"Did I upset you?" he asked carefully, as the lights changed and they started crossing to the park. However the fox's gaze was fixed to the ground and the raven could see from his watery eyes fighting to stay in control. After what seemed like forever, Sasuke found a tree where no one could be in earshot of their conversation. The snake found himself continually shooting careful glances at the blond even after they'd sat down, but Naruto still just stared at the grass. Thinking back over the way he'd been acting toward the fox earlier… it hadn't been very appropriate. Sucking in his lips, he gave the blond one more quick look before shuffling over to him, wrapping his lean arm around tired shoulders. Beneath him, he felt Naruto take a shuddering breath. Sasuke licked his lips, his eyes scoured the blond's tanned neck. Leaning in, he breathed gently into the crook of the man's neck, making him shiver. Still, the fox gave another shaky sob, even as the raven slowly brushed his lips on his bare skin, kissing it lovingly. Still gently kissing the man's neck, the snake looked up at him with his dark eyes. Even Naruto's lovely pink lips were trembling, and his eyes were full of a kind of despair that Sasuke couldn't recognise. "You don't have to tell me anything. But I'll be here for you, Naruto," he whispered, reaching around with his other arm and softly stroking behind the boy's ear.

"I… didn't tell you this before," murmured the fox, as several more tears dripped off his nose onto the grass. "Only because I didn't want you to have more to deal with, but… the thing is, Mum…" As Naruto gave another shaking sob, he pushed his palms into his eyes, as Sasuke's heart slowed and his mind seemed to feel with a dark shock. Instantly, the raven's arms tightened around the boy and squeezed him as hard as he could.

"I'm sorry," he rasped, pressing his nose into the blond's. "And Minato?"

"He's okay. I mean, he's not okay, but…" Naruto made a sound that should've sounded like a sigh, but it was too broken. "We'll be okay. To be honest, I don't want to talk about it." For a moment, Naruto seemed calm as he stared into nothing, but it was shortlived as seen the tears began to flow again. Closing his eyes, Sasuke gently rubbed Naruto's shoulders, then gently stroked his moist cheeks. This was so beyond him. He had no idea what to do except for this. Honestly, Sasuke could barely remember Kushima, but he definitely remembered how nice she was – like his own mother. And of course he knew… that even after fighting so hard for happiness in one respect, Naruto had lost it in another.

"I'll stay with you as long as you need me to," he murmured, reaching for the scratched cheeks and wiping away the tears with his thumbs. Just as he said this, the fox's eyes gave a spark, and he looked up at Sasuke with a smile slowly spreading across his face. Unable to resist, the raven loosely clasped Naruto's chin, and he pulled the fox's lips into his. A prickle crept down his spine, like warm water sliding down his back. Naruto's lips tasted salty and felt slick, and the snake kissed them slowly, savouring the flavour of the tears. The boy's spicy scent was buzzing around his head, and his brow furrowed as he breathed heavily through his nose, kissing the blond a little more deeply, but mainting a slow rhythm. A hand gripped the back of his hair, making him sigh.

"So this is what came of all that hard work getting him back," came a sudden bored voice. Sasuke's heart gave a sharp throb, his eyes widening as Naruto gasped and ripped himself away from the other's tight grip. Quickly wiping his eyes, the red-faced fox shot an uncomfortable glare away, as the raven fell back on the grass, his wide eyes on Deidara and Neji. "Oh that's good," smirked the ferret. "I was worried we were going to need a crowbar to separate you two. You know this is a public place, un?" Sasuke glared at him viciously, but his cheeks were too rosy for him to appear very menacing. Seeing this, Deidara snorted, but then his eyes fell on Naruto. He was staring sternly away from the others, and his eyes were red with tears.

"I know," Sasuke hissed, though he didn't know how to tactfully explain the situation. At the same moment, everyone glanced at the blond, but he was still frozen in the same position.

"I really don't know what Deidara's talking about," Neji smiled, his own cheeks heating up. "I mean, I went on a date with Gaara here just yesterday." Frowning, the snake sat up slightly.

"Better late than never," he scoffed.

"Did you ever notice that it says 'Ai' on his forehead?" Somehow, as he said this, Neji's cloudy eyes seemed to grow even more so. "I never realised how deep he is." Staring at him through bored eyes, the ferret gave a huff.

"Bye Naruto. Text me sometime," he said, purposely ignoring Sasuke as he dragged Neji away.

"Bye Sasuke and Naruto!" Neji called. Neither replied, but only the raven watched them leave, his stony eyes restlessly staring after them. They could've been statues, as the two stayed fixed to their spots in perfect silence. Until finally, Sasuke drew his eyes away and pulled his legs into his chest.

"So many good things are happening today, but at this point," he muttered, just loud enough for Naruto to hear him, "it still feels like the terrible things that have happened are just too much." Clasping a tuft of grass and tugging at it, the melancholy snake gave a heavy sigh. "The fact that my brother is supposed to be proposing to a great person like Sakura isn't enough to outweigh it. And Mum is getting over her state of depression after living with it for years. And of course I'm pleased that Gaara finally accepted Neji. It's still not enough to make this a happy day." Naruto shifted slightly, and turned to stare at his boyfriend.

"Sasuke? Are you telling me that you aren't happy?" he asked with a pout. "I am really sad about Mum, but you know I'm happy, right?" Snorting, the raven ripped the grass of the ground and let it drop off his hands.

"Ts. I am telling you that I'm fucking confused," he snarled. In fact, the stress was causing a sharp pain in his forehead. "One second I feel great and the next I just feel sick." Despite the pout pulling at his lips, the blond managed a smirk as he wrapped his arms around Sasuke, his hands dangling on the raven's chest.

"That must be frustrating," he murmured, kissing around his pale ear. Sasuke took a sharp breath, leaning into the touch. "I want you, Sasuke." As the vibrations of Naruto's husky voice shot through him, the snake shuddered visibly. The blond chuckled. "Look at you, always driven by the things that make you sad." The raven's lip gave a twitch as he felt the urge to sneer.

"Don't." Warm breath hit his neck as the fox sighed. "Let's go somewhere. I'm supposed to be looking after you, remember?"

"Your place or mine?" As Sasuke considered, Naruto planted moist kisses on his ear.

"Both homes could potentially be in mourning at this point," he sighed. "What do you think?"

"Mine," Naruto said. "Give your brother some space. Besides, I have to teach you to swim." That was when Sasuke's heart stopped completely. His eyes shot open and his body froze completely. Panicking slightly, the blond scooted around to shake the raven's shoulders, but there was no response. His big black eyes just stared blankly at Naruto. "It'll be fine!" he yelled, making the snake wince. "Come on. I know that you've been left to drown before, but I'll be there, helping you so you can learn to swim on your own."

"Cute metaphor!" Sasuke snapped, as his body suddenly kicked back into action. "Not happening. If you want to look after me, just pull me out when I'm drowning. I'm not going near your pool or any other water by choice!" Now his heart was racing again, as he scrambled away from Naruto.

"Aw come on," the blond chuckled. "It'll be fun." But the wide-eyed snake was shaking his head.

"Please, Naruto," he begged. "I'll let you do things to me. I'll let you be as rough as you like and whenever you like just please please please don't try and get me in the pool." Jaw dropping slightly, the fox raised an eyebrow at the handsome raven, whose usually iron eyes looked positively wide with terror.

"I promise I won't." Wincing as Sasuke spotted the slightly hungry look in Naruto's eyes, the raven started to glower.

"Ts. You piece of shit usuratonkachi," he hissed, getting to his feet. Naruto smirked.

"What's the matter, teme? Are you embarrassed that I got you to beg?" Sasuke shot him a dark look, as they made their way back in the direction of the streets. Tapping his fingers on his lips, Naruto looked back with a mischievous grin. "Or are you embarrassed about those terrible things you said you wanted me to do to you?"

"Ts! Dobe!" The fox laughed as Sasuke quickly went red. "I didn't say that I wanted it at all!"

"But you didn't have to suggest that. You could've bribed me with ramen or something." Shaking with laughter, Naruto barely flinched as the snake smacked his arm.

"Shut up!" Despite his embarrassment, Sasuke couldn't help himself but to smirk. "You're so damn annoying…"

THE END

… almost

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